FC Barcelona - Santos FC Preview

Guardiola is expecting an extremely tough World Club Cup final against Brazilian legends Santos: “On the counterattack they’ll like Madrid. They’re a very dangerous team”

“Santos is a great team; they win every 50:50 ball. They remind me of the 1992 Sao Paulo team”

- Source: FCBarcelona.com

FC Barcelona are due to play the final of the Club World Cup tomorrow at 4:30IST at the Yokohoma Stadium against Santos FC. The Catalan giants will aim to get the cup which they want to dedicate to injured striker David Villa and assistant coach Tito Vilanova.

With Alexis Sanchez’s status still not confirmed, he mostly will miss tomorrow’s final. That leaves Pep with fewer options in the attacking front. Many players being benched in the Al-Sadd game means he has more midfielders and defenders fit for this final. There are strong indications that Pep might opt for a 3-4-3 formation over the traditional 4-3-3. Here is a table of probable line-ups.

• 3-4-3 (1)
• 3-4-3 (2)
• 4-3-3 (1)
• 4-3-3 (2)

If Barca win tomorrow, it will be their 2nd Club World Cup under Guardiola in a span of 3 years. No other club has achieved this feat.