Barca Fans Prefer Liverpool

Defending Champions FC Barcelona are up against a stark choice in the last sixteen. After managing to shrug off the unexpectedly fierce challenge made by Werder Bremen in the group stage, the second place yields potential rivals who’ve all finished top of their respective groups. Although the draw takes place in a week’s time, fans are already showing where their preferences lie.

Olympique Lyon, Arsenal and Manchester United are the ‘unholy trinity’ that Blaugrana followers would least like to see coming out of next week’s draw, whereas Liverpool and Bayern Munich would be the desired opponents given the choice.  Recent polls were conducted amongst readers of Catalonia’s two leading daily sports papers ‘Sport’ and ‘El Mundo Deportivo’.

‘Sport’ readers’ preferences break down as follows: 29% would go for a Bayern Munich that now can field ex-Barça midfielder Mark van Bommel, perhaps memories of the summer slaying of the Bavarian greats (3-0 at the Joan Gamper trophy meet) influencing in a certain fondness to play hosts to Die Roten again.

Just behind by a single percentage point lie Rafa Benítez’s Liverpool, also, coincidentally, with ex-Barça players in their ranks, this time Luís García, the forward who couldn’t find a niche at the club he grew up at, ‘Oranje’ man Zenden and Pepe Reina, the keeper who couldn’t manage to retain the trust of the Catalan coaching staff for long.  28% of the 15,000 votes leaned towards ‘Higado Piscina’ (Liver Pool in Spanish) as the ‘easier’ option.

AC Milan appears in third place followed by Arsenal, Manchester United. And the Olympique Lyon who appear to have finally got their Champions league act going strong and pushed Real Madrid into second place with a repeat embarrassment of the Merengues.  The choices made by readers of ‘El Mundo Deportivo’ were slightly different.

Liverpool edges above Bayern as the rival of choice with 29% versus 26% inverting the ‘Sport’ preferences.  AC Milan are in the same third place, the club that turned Cruyff’s dream team into a nightmare in Athens receiving a 16% slice.  Olympique de Lyon follows with 11% whereas Manchester United – now with Larsson – and last year’s Final rivals Arsenal are the least wanted with 9% of votes cast.

Cheeky Catalan bas**rds.

I hope we get them and stuff them.

Cheeky Catalan bas**rds.

I hope we get them and stuff them.

This is exactly what we need, to be underestimated by the fans & the clubs so we can pull of another shock like we did in 2005

Liverpool football Club are the only team to beat Barcelona at home, please say if I'm wrong but I think it was 1976 and we won 1-0 with Toshack scoring. We can beat the cheeky bas**rds we aren't Arsenal and the just might find out! 

Let them take the piss, then we will do the talking on the pitch.