Messi substituted as a precaution

Messi in action against Atlético / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
The Argentinian forward was subbed off at the break after he noticed discomfort in his left thigh

Leo Messi ceded his spot on the pitch to Cesc Fàbregas at halftime in the match against Atlético Madrid this evening. Barça’s No10 was substituted as a precaution after the player noticed discomfort in his left thigh. Messi will undergo further tests this Thursday to determine the severity of the injury.

“Independently of whether it’s a final or not, there’s no reason to keep a player on the pitch when there’s an injury or if there are physical issues that impede him from playing normally,” said Gerardo Martino in the post-match press conference.

Atlético Madrid – FC Barcelona: Neymar scores and the Camp Nou will decide (1-1)

Neymar scores for Barça . PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
Martino’s men come away with a one-all draw from the Calderón in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup

Just as Tata Martino predicted in the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, the tie between FC Barcelona and Atlético Madrid will be decided at the Camp Nou. Barça, fettered from the start and unchained at the end, deserved more against Atlético, but scoring an all-important away goal in a two-leg tie is never a bad result. The home team, who took the lead after 12 minutes thanks to a superb strike from Villa, took control of the game early on but loosened their grip as minutes ticked off the clock. A champion will be crowned on Wednesday, August 28, when the two sides meet at the Camp Nou for the return leg of the Super Cup.

Villa hits first

It wasn’t Barça’s best first half. The reigning champions of the Cup came out of the gate swinging and were relentless with their pressure on Barça’s back line. The Blaugrana were struggling to play out from the back and it took them nearly 10 minutes to create their first chance of the night. Aggressive, intense and comfortable without possession, Atlético played to one of its greatest strengths, the counterattack.

That’s how the first goal of the night was scored. Villa initiated the counter and linked-up with Arda Turan, who thundered down the left wing before crossing the ball back into the area to the former Barça player. Villa one-timed the ball with a well timed volley from just inside the area, there wasn’t much Valdés could do. After the goal, however, Atlético didn’t threaten to increase their lead, but Barça seemed incapable of equalising. The web cast by the Colchoneros nullified Messi, Alexis and Pedro. Only Alves, from the right, managed to break through Atlético’s pressure but his crosses didn’t find their intended targets.

Neymar equalises

Without Messi, who was brought off at the break due to thigh issues, but with Neymar, who was subbed in on 58 minutes, and Cesc, who came on for the Argentinian, Barça regained a little of its incisiveness. The first Barça player to test Courtois was Alexis, and only eight minutes after being brought on, Neymar scored to bring Barça level, his first official goal in the FC Barcelona strip.

Direct Play

The flow of play was hectic in the final 15 minutes of the match. Atlético, comfortable but tired, did their best to lock up the match. Barça, with Cesc and Neymar leading the way, looked to score the match winner, but it never came. On Wednesday, August 20, the two teams will meet at the Camp Nou for the second leg of the Super Cup, the first title of the season.

Busquets: “Playing against Villa is going to be strange"

Busquets with the Al Jazeera journalist / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB
The midfielder warns that Atlético “are an intense team; they’re excellent on counterattacks”

The Spanish Super Cup is due to start in just a couple of hours, and for Sergio Busquets the match against Atlético Madrid is going to be special because he’ll play against his former team-mate, David Villa: “He spent many years here and now, suddenly, he’s going to be on the pitch with different uniform on, it’s going to be strange.” In any event, the midfielder believes that “these are things that happen in football” and he’ll deal with it “in the most natural way possible.”

An “intense” opponent

Busquets expect a “very intense” Atlético Madrid this evening: “We know how they play. They close themselves off well at the back and they’re quick to launch counterattacks. This is the beginning of the season and we don’t know if they are on top form yet, but last year they put in a great season and they won the Cup.”

A special present

Before making these statements, Busquets signed and gave away two football kits – one was a Barça uniform and the other the Spain strip – for a Saudi Arabian footballer, Abdullah Otayf, who dedicated a goal to the midfielder in December. The Al Jazeera journalist who interviewed Busquets will deliver the kits to Otayf at a later date.

FC Barcelona have arrived in Madrid

Neymar Jr, a Madrid / FOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB
The travelling party arrived at Barajas at 12.10 and will return to Barcelona on Thursday morning

This Wednesday night’s Spanish Supercup first leg kicks off at 23.00

Barça are in Madrid. After a one-hour flight, the team’s plane touched down at Barajas Airport at 12.10. The expedition is being led by president Sandro Rosell and directors Jordi Moix, Ramon Pont, Joan Bladé and Manel Arroyo, as well as director of professional football, Andoni Zubizarreta.

Rest at the hotel

They were greeted by a temperature of 28ºC, and were transferred to the Eurostars Madrid Tower. The players will rest there until about 21.30, and will then head for the Vicente Calderón. The Supercup first leg kicks off at 23.00 (TV3 and La 1).

The team will stay the night in Madrid and return to Barcelona on Thursday morning on a flight that is due to land at El Prat at around 12.00.

Super Cup: Atlético Madrid-FC Barcelona, did you know…

Iniesta in a league match against Atlético Madrid / PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB
Barça and Atlético have faced off four times in the Spanish Super Cup. The record between the two sides stands at three victories for Barça and one for Atlético

Messi is the highest goalscorer of the competition with 10 goals

There are quite a few interesting stats and facts surrounding the away leg of the Spanish Super Cup at the Vicente Calderón. Let’s take a look at them:

– Barça are the club with most Spanish Super Cup titles (10), ahead of Real Madrid (9). Atlético Madrid have won the tournament once, in 1985.

– Of the ten titles Barça has won, eight of them saw the Blaugrana start the competition away from home (1983, 1991, 1994, 2005, 2006, 2010, and 2011). In the 1992 and 1996 editions, Barça started the tournament at home.

– Barça and Atlético Madrid have faced off four times in the Spanish Super Cup. The record stands at three victories for Barça (1991, 1992 and 1996) and one for Atlético Madrid (1985).

– In terms of goals scored in the four previous meetings between the two teams, Barça has scored a total of 15 goals to Atlético Madrid’s 11. The average of goals scored stands at 3.25 per match.

Leo Messi is the highest goalscorer of the competition, with 10 goals from 9 matches. The Argentinian has scored three more goals than the second highest goalscorer of the tournament, Raul González.

– Atlético Madrid seem to be Messi’s favourite victim. He’s netted 20 times against the Colchoneros (17 in the league and 3 in the Cup). Of these 20, 8 of them were scored at the Vicente Calderón.

Neymar, Alba, Song, Tello, Dos Santos, Bartra, Montoya, Sergi Roberto and Oier are the nine first team players who have yet to win the Spanish Super Cup. Xavi, Puyol, Valdés, Iniesta and Messi have won the title five times.

– Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino and Simeone will face off for the first time ever this evening.