Barca battle Al Sadd, jet lag

Posted Thursday, December 15, 2011 by Supersport.com

Fresh from their glorious El Clasico defeat of great rivals Real Madrid in the Bernabeu, Barcelona kick off their Club World Cup campaign on Thursday in a game they will be fully expected to win.

The European champions face Qatar's Al Sadd for a place in the intercontinental final, where they will face Brazil's Santos or home side Kashiwa Reysol.

Nobody is giving Al Sadd, who were crowned kings of Asia last month, a chance against a Barca side that stormed back to the top of La Liga with last weekend's hugely impressive 3-1 away victory over Jose Mourinho's Real.

But if there is a chink in the Catalans' armour, it might be fatigue and jet lag.

They flew out to Japan only hours after seeing off Mourinho's men, then endured a 13-hour flight, before touching down on Sunday night – just four days before their semifinal in Yokohama, near Tokyo.

"It's tough," coach Pep Guardiola said of the tight schedule and the eight-hour time difference between Japan and Spain.

"It's something I experienced myself as a player and it was very difficult getting used to being in a different time zone, over and above the fatigue from a long flight.

"Two years ago we only had to go to Abu Dhabi, which is just a few hours ahead (of Spain), whereas here the difference is much greater.

"Ideally we'd come here in plenty of time, a week or 10 days ahead, but unfortunately our fixture list is very full and the gaps between competitions are very short, so we'll just have to make the best of it."

However Guardiola, whose three-and-a-half years at the helm has seen him capture every trophy going, told Fifa.com: "But don’t think that I'm complaining.

"It's a privilege to be here, an honour to be representing Europe and we're incredibly excited about the chance to try and win this tournament."

Nobody is giving Al Sadd, who were underdogs when they beat Jeonbuk Motors in the AFC Champions League final in November on penalties, a chance.

But their experienced coach, the Uruguayan Jorge Fossati, refused to accept the clash was a foregone conclusion against a side boasting the likes of Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas and Xavi.

"If we can have 15 or 16 players on the pitch we will have a good chance," Fossati said jokingly, when asked by AFP how his side could possibly beat the mighty Barca.

"One sports manufacturer says 'impossible is nothing', and I want to believe that. Of course Barcelona are the best in the world, which we recognise, especially after the match against Real Madrid.

"But recently Getafe in Spain won against Barcelona (1-0). It sounds illogical and impossible. This is key. But as long as we are humble and maintain a strong spirit, we think it can happen."

Fossati, a former Qatar and Uruguay coach, said his unfancied side, who are taking part in the world club championship for the first time, had already made history.

"To play the best team in the world does not happen every day," he said. "We will try to enjoy this opportunity. For me, to play them in this game, is something very special that firstly you must enjoy."

Al Sadd set up the glamour tie after hitting the African champions Esperance on the break in their quarterfinal, beating the Tunisians 2-1 despite having only four shots on goal all game.