Barca face BATE with minds already on el clasico

With top place already secured in Champions League Group H it will be an unfamiliar looking Barcelona which faces the final game against BATE Borisov as the stars of the side are held in reserve for the first el clasico against Real Madrid at the weekend.
The hard work has already been done by coach Pep Guardiola’s players with the 3-2 victory in their last match away to AC Milan putting them five points clear on 13 points.
Bottom club BATE will savour the opportunity of playing in the Nou Camp against Guardiola’s feted side but they still have an outside chance of qualifying for the Europa League by finishing third even though lying two points adrift of Viktoria Plzen it is remote. Their biggest hope is that they can take advantage of facing a second-string Barca side.
Guardiola has decided to rest 13 players against BATE which includes the backbone of the side such as Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi. The coach is using the week to fine tune his team for the crunch game with Real where Barcelona have the chance to draw level with their arch-rival even though Real will still have a game in hand.
At the weekend Barca maintained their indomitable home form which has now seen them score 39 goals without conceding, with a commanding 5-0 victory over Levante. Up until now Guardiola has refused to speak about the upcoming game with Real but with less than a week to go and just BATE to play beforehand he is focusing on their game at the Bernabeu.
In recent weeks Guardiola has experimented with a three-man defence and there is now a debate whether he will continue with this formation in Madrid. Gerard Pique is one of the players prejudiced by this and he is no longer a regular in the back line while the fact that he has been named in the squad to face BATE suggests he could be on the bench against Real.
“After three years at the helm the only thing I ask is that people believe in this team and value it because the players have a lot of merit. It is easy after all that we have achieved for it to appear little but to beat a side 5-0 like we did, which was so well organised and experienced is no easy feat,” said Guardiola.
“We are still preparing ourselves for the game in Madrid. I need to watch more of their games and then we will decide how to play. It would be a risk to go and play three at the back but the truth is that I have not decided yet. To play with three is good if we are dominating but if not then we leave ourselves open and to dominate Madrid for much of the game at the Bernabeu is an almost impossible job.”
While Pique’s importance in Guardiola’s plans may have diminished, Javier Mascherano’s has definitely grown and he has converted from a reserve midfield option to a valued defensive choice.
“I am not surprised that Barcelona are playing so well at home as we have all been working hard. Whether we play with three or four at the back it doesn’t matter as the key is the effort of the group,” said Mascherano.
“There is still a game to be played before we face Madrid and we have to give the opposition respect as it is a match in the Champions League but we are all looking forward to the game at the Bernabeu as it will be special.”