Things don’t get much bigger round here than Champions League finals, especially when Barça are in them. And this is only the sixth time they’ve made it. So, will Rome be another Wembley, or another Paris - and for the umpteenth time this season the fans get to celebrate in the Ramblas, while less savoury folks decide they have a free reign to trash as much of the urban furniture as they feel like. Or will it be another Seville or Athens, meaning the non-Barça crowd are heading for a very peaceful evening? Whatever happens on May 27, the game the weekend before against Osasuna will be doubling as a celebration of the two trophies Barça have already won in perhaps their most successful season ever. But don’t expect to see any of Messi, Henry, Xavi, Puyol or Iniesta strutting their stuff on the pitch. They’re all being reserved for the big one in the Eternal City.
Albeit for very different reasons, the blue and white half of the city, Espanyol, are also a happy bunch of campers right now. Despite the Barça jokes like the one about Espanyol fans not having rear view mirrors (because there’s nobody behind them), not only are they off the bottom of the table, but they are almost certain of avoiding relegation. And against Malaga they can finally bid farewell to that that dreadful place for watching football, the Olympic Stadium, and start preparing for next season, still a first division club, and in their brand new 40,000 stadium in Cornella.
Music fans are also in for a treat this week, Yep, it’s Primavera Sound. Neil Young, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Aphex Twin, Bloc Party, Jarvis Cocker, The Jayhawks, Spiritualized, Michael Nyman, Throwing Muses and Saint Etienne are among the main attractions - look on the far right for full details.
As for those of who intend to spend your time in the bar, keep an eye on the screens. The Scottish league has gone down to the last day, with Rangers in the driving seat. And once the Heineken Cup Final is out of the way, rugby fans have got a Lions tour to start looking forward to!
The local sports papers, as usual, have been packed with elation at everything Barça have been achieving of late, yet no less impressive has been Espanyol’s incredible Houdini act, as they escaped almost certain relegation (eight points adrift) to now lie seventh from bottom and almost mathematically safe.
On May 23, they travel to Almeria, and if they win there, then their survival act is complete - and if other results go their way, then a draw or even a loss might still be enough.
And so to the last game of the season, at home to Malaga, when Espanyol may or may not still need points to stay up against a side whose UEFA Cup aspirations will almost certainly have ended by then, and will have nothing but pride to play for.
But whether this game is about first division survival or not, it is still going to be a historic occasion. It’s the very last game Espanyol will play at the Olympic Stadium.
Since their historic old ground, Sarria, was tragically sold in 1997, they have been renting the Olympic Stadium. But the brand new 40,000 capacity Estadi RCDE in Cornella is now ready for its inauguration match against Liverpool in July - a state of the art venue, in which the terraces come right up to the pitch.
And that is one of things the Espanyol fans are most looking forward to, for at their new ground, they’ll actually be able to see which player is which without the need of binoculars! Awkward to get to, freezing cold in winter, and a dreadful place to watch football because of the athletics track around the pitch, it really is hard to create an atmosphere on Montjuic. Despite Espanyol getting an impressively vociferous 35,000 or so a game, that still means there is a dreadfully atmosphere-dampening amount of unused concrete terracing on show.
So, what becomes of the Olympic Stadium now? It’s not exactly Espanyol’s problem, but despite the European Athletics Championships coming here next year, it really is hard to wonder what use the stadium can really hold for the city now the periquitos have flown.
One things for sure. The Espanyol fans won’t want to say goodbye to the ground without a pitch invasion. And if only for that, this is a game worth going to!
Barça have won the Spanish Liga at a canter, and played Bilbao off the park in last week’s Copa del Rey final to claim the double in Pep Guardiola’s first year in charge. But there has been no victory parade yet, because the big one has yet to be decided.
All that is really on Barça’s minds right now is the Champions League final against Man United on Wednesday, but still expect a bit of razzmatazz this evening, because it is doubling as a celebration of the two titles they’ve already bagged.
It could all turn out a bit embarrassing for Barça though, because if they don’t come back from Rome with the trophy, then it will be sorely missing if they do decide to go ahead with the traditional open top bus parade around the main streets.
Which makes tonight’s game with Osasuna a bit of a formality. Expect plenty of back-slapping narcissism in the build-up, but Guardiola would probably much rather get this out of the way and get his players thinking about the job they have to against CR7 and his gang. If fact, he’s already made it clear that none of the big boys will be playing in this game. That’s except for Abidal and Alves, who are both suspended for the final, and probably Samuel Eto’o, who is still hellbent on winning his battle with Atletico’s Diego Forlan for the top scorer award.
But the Cameroonian will have to be a bit better than he managed at Mallorca last week. In losing 2-1 to his former club, he managed to miss about six chances, including a penalty. Otherwise, the side will probably feature the likes of Cáceres, Bojan, Hleb, Gudjohnsen and Sylvinho, all of whom are unlikely starters against Man United, with the rest of the side featuring players from Barça B (or Barça Atletic as we are apparently supposed to call them now).
Osasuna, meanwhile, are currently in the relegation zone, and need the points desperately, and that is really where the fascination of this game lies. Especially as three points going the way of the side from Pamplona would not exactly help Barça’s local rivals Espanyol in their bid to avoid the drop.
Circuit de Catalunya, Montmeló, Sunday May 10, 14.00
The Spanish Formula One Grand Prix is here, and what a fascinating championhip this is turning out to be, with the status quo totally turned upside down. Ferrari down in eighth in the driver’s championship, and Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Räikkönen and local hero Fernando Alonso all struggling. Alonsomania has been what has made the Spanish GP so special in recent years, but with neither the Asturian nor his arch rival having made a podium finish this season, expect the partisan atmosphere to be a bit more subdued in 2009.
After winning three of the four races so far, it’s Britain’s Jenson Button who is way ahead of the pack right now on a healthy 31 points, with Rubens Barrichello (19) and Sebastian Vettel (18) in third and fourth.
It’s not just the F1 that makes the weekend though, the action begins on Saturday from 09.40 through to 18.30 with other races, including qualifying practice for the F1 at 14.00. Then on Sunday from 09.15, you have Formula BMW Europe, GP2 and the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup to whet your appetite before the big boys take to the grid at 14.00.
If travelling by train, try to leave as early as possible, because trains leaving later on in the day tend to get very, very crowded indeed, or may even be full.
Olympic Stadium, May 16 or May 17
What has happened to Espanyol since the last issue of Barcelonation simply defies belief. With eight points separating them from surviving relegation, we, and indeed most of their fans, were accepting the grim reality of opening their new stadium as a second division club. Frankly, they were doomed.
Not in their wildest dreams could the parakeets have imagined that they would then go on to win 16 of the next 18 points on offer. Deportivo were beaten 3-1, then Espanyol drew 0-0 in Numancia. There was a glimmer of hope. Then they beat Racing 2-0, and won 3-0 away to direct rivals Sporting. Now there was real hope. Next up, Betis, and Espanyol won 2-0. With their direct rivals dropping points left, right and centre, they were suddenly out of the relegation zone.
High-flying Valencia looked a tougher proposition last week, but Espanyol posted yet another majestic performance to win 3-0, and they are now seventh from bottom! A lot of people in this city have been getting immense pleasure out of Espanyol’s suffering in recent months, but it looks like there will still be two first division clubs in Barcelona next season after all!
There’s a party atmosphere on Montjuic right now, and in the second to last game Espanyol will ever play at the Olympic Stadium the opposition is Athletic Bilbao, who are stuck in mid-table obscurity, and will have had their minds majorly distracted by their cup final against Barça this week. A great chance for another RCDE win!
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