Hercules provided one of the stories of the season when they recorded a 2-1 victory against Barcelona at Camp Nou earlier this season. If the Alicante club rather caught the Catalans on the hop on that occasion, they can expect a severe backlash from la Blaugrana on Saturday night as the champions aim to overcome the only team to have bruised them this term.
Back in September, los Herculanos got their tactics correct, squeezing Barca through the centre and forcing them to play wide, and didn’t make any catastrophic errors. In addition, Nelson Valdez enjoyed an unforgettable night in attack, bagging a couple of goals to silence the great venue and shock the previously untouchable hosts.
Things haven’t always run so smoothly for Esteban Vigo’s men since then. Indeed, Hercules have won only one of their last five matches and have been shut out on four occasions, although it should be noted that their only victory – a smashing 4-1 success over Atletico Madrid – has been their only home fixture during that period.
Vigo has lamented his side’s poor start in recent fixtures, losing a goal in the opening seconds in a 2-0 defeat against Sporting Gijon and then shipping the opener against Athletic Bilbao last weekend after less than five minutes. With Barca famously quick-starting, no early mistakes can be afforded, else the 12th placed side in the league could face a very long evening indeed.
Going For The Perfect 10
Barcelona will remember Hercules well from their September meeting, and that defeat will simply act as a spur for a team who have been largely untouchable on the domestic front since. Away from home, Pep Guardiola’s side have been particularly irresistible, winning all nine of their road Liga matches to date.
Boasting a four point advantage at the top of the Primera Division, Barca went some way to ensuring their presence in the Copa del Rey final on Wednesday evening with a terrific 5-0 victory over in-form Almeria. The match was over as a contest after just 15 minutes as early goals from Lionel Messi, who struck twice, and David Villa propelled la Blaugrana en route to a victory that was capped by Pedro and Seydou Keita.
Most teams prefer playing at home, but this weekend Guardiola is pleased to be able to take his troops away due to the poor condition of the Camp Nou playing surface. “We hope that with the break in games at the stadium, the pitch will be able to improve,” he explained. “We’ll have to work hard at it because it’s not quite right. Maybe the result [against Almeria] has even more merit if you bear that in mind.”
In all competitions, the Catalans already have scored more than 100 goals to their name this season. The Primera Division stats show them scoring at a rate of more than three a game, while a stingy defence has only given up a meagre 11. Saturday’s task is formidable for the hosts.
TEAM NEWS
Hercules
Nelson Valdez has been toiling with a foot injury this week, but he shouldn’t have a problem facing Barca. Abraham Paz, on the other hand, is almost certainly missing; Sergio Rodriguez and Noe Pamarot are expected to play in the heart of the defence as a result.
Barcelona
Dani Alves has yet to receive the all-clear to play but has been training with the squad. Carles Puyol and Jeffren Suarez are both missing.
Prediction
Defeat to Hercules last time out will still hurt Pep Guardiola’s men, who will certainly not take the weekend’s trip to Alicante lightly. Fully focussed, there are few teams in the world who can stop Barca, and it will take another super-human effort on Saturday night for the hosts to come away with the points.
Hercules 0-3 Barcelona 
