FC Barcelona and Kajagoogoo

Do you remember the song Too Shy by Kajagoogoo? You do? Well then you may well be able to remember the last time Racing Club Santander won in the Camp Nou.

We enter the second half of the season and FCB sit on a record total of 52 points, leading the Men in White by 4. The thing is that it isn't just 4 points, is it? Comparing the way the two teams play is like comparing Michael Jackson's dancing ability with that of Michael Robinson. Hey I'm not saying the Canal Plus star isn't a snazzy mover, but you know what I mean. FC Barcelona have a recognisable style of play and Real Madrid have some great individuals, but are still some distance from being a synchronised outfit. The problem is not so much how far FCB are ahead of RM, more so how far they are from the rest of the league. No the Spanish league is not turning into the Scottish league, it's turning into a football version of how golf was before people started tampering with Tiger Wood' balls.

Anyway, with the main question being how many goals Barça will score lets look at today's action. At 1800hrs Barça B, with future Barça stars Bartra,Fontás, Thiago and Jonathan Dos Santos will be in action against third placed Rayo Vallecano at the Mini Stadium. You can then walk across the road in time to see the Big Barça (minus Alves and poor Jeffren) take on a Racing Club Santander (without Serrano, Pinillo and, the biggest loss, Pedro Munitis) who know this isn't their battle. That said, they will fight at least until the first goal goes in.

I have for a long time had a soft spot for Racing, but that will melt away if/when they are bought by rich Indian businessman, Ahsan Aki Syed. The same man who nearly bought Blackburn Rovers last Summer, possibly Jack Walker was the last (or only?) time I felt happy about a millionaire buying the Premier League. So they will go the way of Manchester City for me, just another chequebook club. You could argue that West Ham were bought by rich businessmen as well, but they have just turned out to be an upmarket version of Steptoe and Son with wicked witch Brady in tow.

Kick-off time is 2000hrs on a Saturday evening. Just perfect to see some of the sexiest football on the planet before heading out to the Salvador Bar to see who will be the Packers' opponents in the Superbowl Final.

Prediction:

FCB 6-1 Real Racing Club de Santander

p.s. Michael Jackson with Beat it took over from Kajagoogoo at number 1 in the UK singles charts in February 1983.