Clean up with top value Messi; CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SPECIAL Basle v Barcelona 7.45pm, live on Sky Sports Interactive.Byline: Verdicts by Mark Langdon BARCELONA have recovered from a slow start to win their last seven matches and they should have no problems making it eight in Basle tonight. Pep Guardiola's team even managed to keep their first clean sheet of the La Liga Liga de Fútbol Profesional (Professional Football League), commonly known as La Liga and also known as Primera División, is the professional football league in Spain. season on Sunday when they won 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao Athletic Club is a football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Basque Country, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. Of the founding members, only Athletic, Real Madrid, and FC Barcelona have never been relegated. and the rest of Europe will have to watch out now the art of defending has been learned. Rotation is seen as key for Guardiola and his decision to keep Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (born 24 June 1987 in Rosario) is an Argentine international football player who currently plays for FC Barcelona in the Primera División, and appears on Argentina's national team. (above) fresh for this contest can be rewarded with a goal. Messi has notched five times in six La Liga appearances and already has two in two in the Champions League. He shares penalty duty with Samuel Eto'o, but it is Messi's turn, which is yet another reason to back the Argentinian. Basle have lost both of their Champions League games against Shakhtar and Sporting and a third defeat is likely. TEAM NEWS Carlitos is Basle's biggest concern. The Brazilian has a knee injury Seydou Keita, Albert Jorquera, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Pedro and Gabriel Milito have not travelled to Switzerland. Xavi and Martin Caceres have overcome their knocks to make the 19-man squad TOP SCORERS (League-Champ Lge) Basle Derdiyok 3-0, Chipperfield 3-0, Huggel 3-0, Mustafi 2-0, Rubio 2-0, Abraham 0-1 Barcelona Eto'o 6-1, Messi 5-2, Henry 2-0, Gudjohnsen 2-0 Current league positions Basle 2nd, Barcelona 4th Basle Barcelona (a) 1-1 Grasshoppers (a) 1-0 Ath. Bilbao (a) 0-2* Sp. Lisbon (h) 6-1 Atl Madrid (h) 1-2 Young Boys (a) 2-1* Shakhtar (a) 1-0* FC Schotz (a) 2-1 Espanyol (h) 1-2* Shakhtar (h) 3-2 Real Betis (h) 2-0 Lucerne Lucerne (l  sûrn`), Ger. Luzern (ltsĕrn`), canton (1993 pop. (a) 6-1 Sp. Gijon
*Cup match Best prices 13-2 Basle, 8-15 Barcelona, 10-3 Draw Recommendation L Messi to score first 1pt each-way 9-2 Skybet |
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