FC Barcelona News

?England manager Phil Neville is set to name his 23-player squad for the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in the coming weeks as the eagerly awaited tournament fast approaches.

Ranked third in the world by FIFA and recent SheBelieves Cup champions, the Lionesses head to France as one of the favourites to lift the trophy.

Here’s a look at the 23 individuals who are likely to be in that final squad, as well a handful of players on the fringes who could still be in with a chance of making it.

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Goalkeepers

?Karen Bardsley (Man City): England’s number one goalkeeper at major tournaments since 2011 is assured of a place in the squad, although her role as a starter is under threat.

Carly Telford (Chelsea): Only lost the opportunity to further challenge Bardsley this month after withdrawing from the squad with concussion prior to facing Spain. (Pictured)

Mary Earps (Wolfsburg) – The former WSL Team of the Year goalkeeper is likely to get the nod as number three ahead of less experienced teenager Ellie Roebuck.

On Standby: Ellie Roebuck (Man City), Siobhan Chamberlain (Man Utd).

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Defenders

Lucy Bronze (Lyon) – Now plying her trade in France at club level, England’s star right-back is firmly among the best players in the world after a breakout World Cup in 2015. (Pictured)

Steph Houghton (Man City) – Minor recent injuries won’t keep the captain out of action. She will be a leader in both penalty areas and is a serious goal threat.

Millie Bright (Chelsea) – Back in the fold in April after missing the SheBelieves Cup through injury and could even start in the heart of defence alongside Houghton.

Abbie McManus (Man City) – A key player at club level for Manchester City where she regularly partners Houghton. That familiarity could be crucial in the starter battle with Bright.

Alex Greenwood (Man Utd) – Set to be the sole Manchester United player in the squad after dropping into the second tier to lead the new club’s promotion charge this season. (Pictured)

Leah Williamson (Arsenal) – Set for a first major international tournament at senior level after being a regular feature of recent Lionesses squads. Will be a back-up player in France.

Rachel Daly (Houston Dash) – Capable of playing virtually anywhere on the pitch, she will be an important squad asset, especially if Bronze moves into midfield again.

Demi Stokes (Man City) – Has played 50 times for England since making her senior debut in 2014 and was a surprise omission from the World Cup squad last time around.

On Standby: Gemma Bonner (Man City), Hannah Blundell (Chelsea).

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Midfielders

Keira Walsh (Man City) – Has become a key England player and midfield linchpin over the last few months, despite only recently celebrating her 22nd birthday. (Pictured)

Karen Carney (Chelsea) – Made her tournament debut for England as a 17-year-old way back in 2005 and continues to be an important player for club and country.

Jade Moore (Reading) – Forced to miss the SheBelieves Cup though injury but was back in the squad for the Canada and Spain friendlies, creating the opening goal in the latter.

Georgia Stanway (Man City) – A top domestic season so far has seen the Manchester City youngster score 11 WSL goals and could be England’s breakout star. (Pictured)

Jill Scott (Man City) – Not necessarily a regular starter for the Lionesses, the veteran has more experience than most but might be under pressure if Izzy Christiansen returns to fitness.

Lucy Staniforth (Birmingham) – Deserving of a place, but another who may be under pressure if Christiansen can prove her fitness earlier than expected after undergoing ankle surgery.

On Standby: Fara Williams (Reading), Izzy Christiansen (Lyon).

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Forwards

Nikita Parris (Man City) – 18 WSL goals and counting this season would have been a new league record had it not been for the even more prolific Dutch star Vivianne Miedema.

Fran Kirby (Chelsea) – Sat out the Canada and Spain games this month in order to manage her fitness after suffering from knee pain. Will be England’s chief creative force in France. (Pictured)

Ellen White (Birmingham) – Seemingly a firm favourite of Neville and a player who can always be relied on to give her all and perhaps score a crucial goal.

Beth Mead (Arsenal) – An increasingly important player in England’s attacking ranks after a flurry of recent international goals and a very strong season at club level for Arsenal. (Pictured)

Toni Duggan (Barcelona) – Set for a first international tournament since moving overseas to play club football for Barcelona. Arguably a more rounded player as a result.

Jodie Taylor (Seattle Reign) – Set to turn 33 years of age next month but still a proven international player. Finished Euro 2017 as tournament top scorer with five goals.

On Standby: Chioma Ubogagu (Orlando Pride), Lauren Hemp (Man City), Melissa Lawley (Man City).

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England will play two final warm up friendlies against Denmark (25 May) and New Zealand (1 June) – both games are to be broadcast live on BBC television – before kicking off their World Cup campaign for real against neighbours Scotland in Nice on 9 June.

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?Manchester United will travel to the Camp Nou on Tuesday to face Barcelona in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

An own goal from Luke Shaw gifted Ernesto Valverde’s side a vital away goal coming into this game, meaning United have to score on Tuesday if they are to have any chance of survival.

Barcelona rested almost all of their star players in Saturday’s goalless draw with Huesca, meaning they will be up for the challenge. With the La Liga title almost wrapped up, the Champions League has become their priority, and they will do all they can to win it.

Check out 90min’s breakdown of the game below.

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Where to Watch

?When Is Kick Off?	?Tuesday 16 April
?What Time Is Kick Off?	?20:00 (BST)
?Where Is it Played?	?Camp Nou
?TV Channel/Live Stream?	?BT Sport 2
?Referee?	?Felix Brych

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Team News

?Barcelona paid the price for fielding a heavily rotated side in Saturday’s draw with minnows Huesca. Only ?Marc-Andre ter Stegen kept his place from Wednesday’s game, whilst Philippe Coutinho, Arthur and Jordi Alba were all second-half substitutes.

The result may have been frustrating, but the Blaugrana took a major positive from the game as ?Ousmane Dembele managed 67 minutes of action on his return from a thigh injury, and now could be set to feature against ?United.

As for United, they will certainly be without ?Shaw, who is suspended after picking up his third yellow card of the competition in the first leg. However, they will hope to welcome back ?Nemanja Matic, ?Alexis Sanchez and ?Ander Herrera, who have all struggled with injury in recent weeks.

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Predicted Lineups

?Barcelona	Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Busquets, Arthur, Rakitic; Messi, Suarez, Dembele?
Manchester United?	?De Gea; Dalot, Smalling, Lindelof, Young; Matic, Pogba, Fred; Martial, Lukaku, Rashford

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Head to Head Record

Barcelona may not have been at their best in the first leg, but they still picked up a vital 1-0 win to give them a potentially decisive advantage heading into the second tie. United need to score at the Camp Nou, something they have only managed once in the past.

?Back in 1998, the two sides played out a dramatic 3-3 draw in Spain, but Barcelona have a good track record when it comes to shutting out the Red Devils. On home soil, Barcelona have kept three clean sheets from four games against United, and they will be keen to add one more to that tally on Tuesday.

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Recent Form

The ?La Liga giants have tasted defeat just once in 2019, although any momentum they built up from important wins against both United and ?Atletico Madrid may have been halted as a second-string Barcelona side were held by the division’s bottom side, Huesca.

As for United, they bounced back from defeat in the first leg with a 2-1 win over ?West Ham United on Saturday, but they certainly relied on good fortune to emerge unscathed. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer won’t care, as the win brought an end to their two-game losing streak.

Here’s how the two sides have performed in their last five fixtures:

?Barcelona	Manchester United?
?SD Huesca 0-0 Barcelona (13/4)	?Manchester United 2-1 West Ham United (13/4)
?Manchester United 0-1 Barcelona (10/4)	?Manchester United 0-1 Barcelona (10/4)
?Barcelona 2-0 Atletico Madrid (6/4)	?Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Manchester United (2/4)
?Villarreal 4-4 Barcelona (2/4)	?Manchester United 2-1 Watford (30/3)
?Barcelona 2-0 Espanyol (30/3)	?Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 Manchester United (16/3)

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Prediction

United need a goal, so they have to go for this. The likes of ?Paul Pogba, ?Marcus Rashford and ?Romelu Lukaku need to be at their best for Solskjaer’s men to get the win here, and we have seen just how prolific they can be when United are on top form.

Unfortunately, they haven’t been on top form for weeks. Since that? first defeat to ?Wolverhampton Wanderers, United have looked lethargic, and the good results have been scarce. They were fortunate to beat West Ham, but coming out on top against Barcelona is another test.

Valverde’s side have looked dominant all season, and his key players will all be well-rested, meaning they should be ready to perform on Tuesday. They have lost just once at the Camp Nou this season, and they won’t want a second defeat on their hands.

Prediction: Barcelona 2-0 Manchester United

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?Barcelona and Real Madrid are set to do battle in the race to sign Japanese prospect Takefusa Kubo from FC Tokyo.

The youngster was previously on the books in Catalonia and was one of the signings which Barca were punished by FIFA for over the transfers of underage players, as the player was not even a teenager at the time.

However, Kubo, who is known as ‘Take’, is set to turn 18 in June and that could pave the way for his return to Europe. As per ?Marca, ?Barcelona are already plotting his return to Camp Nou, though the La Liga champions with face competition for his signature from arch rivals ?Real Madrid.

It is said that PSG have also approached Take’s agent to register their interest in the attacker, who is able to play either as an attacking midfielder or as a forward.

However, after spending four years in Barcelona’s youth academy between 2011 and 2015, it is suggested that the Catalans hold an advantage over their rivals in a potential race to sign the youngster, as Take apparently has a ‘commitment’ to the Blaugrana should he return to Europe. 

Takefusa Kubo e seu talento. Impressionante é que seu potencial chama atenção desde 2017 (destaque técnico na seleção sub-17 do Japão naquele ano – também jogou o Mundial sub-20 com 15 anos) e ainda tem só 17 anos de idade. https://t.co/Ygh2z5FSAI

— Rafael Oliveira (@OliveiraRafa) April 6, 2019

Ernesto Valverde’s side are widely reported to be in the market for attacking reinforcements this summer, particularly with the need for a successor for 32-year-old ?Luis Suarez, though Take is recognised more as a playmaker than as a goalscorer.

Barcelona had recently believed that a deal to seal Take’s return to Catalonia had already been sealed, though certain ‘obstacles’ have since emerged which mean that there is still some work to be done.

Given that Take will only turn 18 in June, it is likely that he would be more closely involved with Barca’s youth setup should he complete his return to Spain, though Ernesto Valverde showed his willingness to integrate the club’s youngsters in Saturday’s game against SD Huesca.

The Spaniard handed academy graduate Riqui Puig among others his La Liga debut in the 0-0 draw, meaning that Take’s potential route into Barca’s first team may not prove too clouded.

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?Ernesto Valverde insisted that he was ‘happy’ with his side’s performance on Saturday despite Barcelona being held to a 0-0 draw away to SD Huesca in La Liga.

The champions went into the game 11 points clear at the top of the table against the league’s bottom side, and Valverde opted to field a heavily rotated side which showed ten changes from the team which recently earned a 1-0 win in the Champions League over Manchester United.

With the second leg looming next week, ?Barca were clearly more focused on seeing that job through in the quarter final as the Catalans were held in an uneventful draw on Saturday. After the game, Valverde said via ?Goal: “We’re happy because it was a difficult match for us.

“A lot of new people came in, but they understood what they had to do. I did not want to play [Nelson] Semedo or [Jordi] Alba because they played the full game the other day. Sergi Roberto had muscle discomfort, too. 

“We were forced to play with Malcom on one wing and Wague on the other. It cost us a little at the beginning, but we’re happy because the players went above and beyond, and we had our options. It was tough, but I thought that’s what we needed to do.

“You have to understand the circumstances around the game. They were not normal debuts, like when a player debuts alongside the first-choice players.

“We changed a lot of players, the way to play and against a team that’s playing against relegation.”

Saturday’s draw saw the gap at the top of La Liga close to nine points after second-placed ?Atletico Madrid secured a 2-0 victory over Celta Vigo later the same day.

However, Barca’s immediate attention will now turn to the second leg of their Champions League quarter final as the Blaugrana prepare to welcome Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side to Camp Nou, aiming to build on their 1-0 advantage from the first leg.

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Barcelona’s second-string side were held to an uneventful 0-0 draw in La Liga by basement side SD Huesca on Saturday.

The visitors tested the home side early on as Ousmane Dembele’s effort was saved by Roberto Santamaria, before the Huesca goalkeeper was on hand once more to tip over a Jeison Murillo header from the resulting corner.

?Barcelona’s heavily rotated side dominated possession but looked almost content to hold out for a point which saw them move 12 points clear at the top of the table, as even the likes of Philippe Coutinho failed to have a telling influence after being brought on in the second half.

Here’s our breakdown of Saturday’s La Liga clash.

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?SD HUESCA

Player Ratings

?Starting XI: Santamaria (7); Miramon (6), Etxeita (7), Pulido (7), Galan (6); Rivera (6); Avila (7), Juanpi (6), Gomez (7), Ferreiro (6); Gallego (6)

Substitutes: Melero (6), Hernandez (5)

BARCELONA

Key Talking Point

With only Marce-Andre ter Stegen keeping his place from Barcelona’s Champions League exploits in midweek, Ernesto Valverde’s heavily rotated team selection on Saturday was always going to be under scrutiny.

With an 11-point lead at the top of the league heading into the game, Barcelona made ten changes to their team from the 1-0 win over ?Manchester United on Wednesday, with stars including ?Lionel Messi and ?Luis Suarez left at home.

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Barcelona starting without their best striker Leo Messi and finding a way to gain their victor against Huesca at Estadio El Alcoraz. While new youngsters playing this match.#LaLigaSantander #laliga #Barca

— Sankalp Pujare (@PujareSankalp) April 13, 2019

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??Rising star Riqui Puig and veteran campaigner Arturo Vidal ably replaced the likes of ?Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets in midfield as Barça dominated possession as usual, but ?Ousmane Dembele and Kevin-Prince Boateng fell some way short of Messi and Suarez’s standards.

The ball was fed forward to the front two at a plentiful rate, but Barca’s second-string attackers simply lacked the cutting edge, star quality and telepathic understanding which are usually provided by the more senior statesmen in attack. Malcom, too, was largely anonymous throughout the game.

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Player Ratings

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