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Did Barcelona learn a "Macedonian" lesson?

In the first round of the Champions League Barcelona managed to get only a draw in Skopje after being six goals in front of their opponents. Today second Macedonian team Metalurg come to Palau Blaugrana, where Barcelona lost only twice in last three seasons.

After winning easily against Wacker and proving against Granollers who is the leader of the domestic league Barcelona started their preparation for the Metalurg game. After returning from their first trip to Macedonia with only a draw the Spaniards are well aware that even though it is only the beginning of the season today's match with Metalurg is a battle that can decide who can end at the top spot of the group. Metalurg will come to Barcelona as the only team in the group without a lost point and will surely look to gain something from their trip. Coach Pascual underlines that Lino Cervar's side is not a surprise and that he considers them one of the best teams in Europe. 

- They strengthened their team a lot and when someone manages to win against PSG the way they did, without one of the crucial players Mirkulovski, it speaks volumes - said coach Pascual.

Pascual prepared his team for a though and firm match against Metalurg. Macedonians tend to play the game style that prevents opponents from creating a gap. 

- They usually play 6-0 defense which is impressive. Their offensive line is slow but they change the rhythm easily when necessary because they posses great half back players. They are a great team and it is going to be hard to win against them - said Pascual whose main concern will be the absence of Rutenka who is out with an injury and it remains to be seen whether he will be available for the game. Other players are fully fit.

Metalurg want to do an impossible mission at Palau Blaugrana. They want to defeat Barcelona for third time in last three season at their home arena. Lino Cervar rested his players for this match. They have played against PSG two weeks ago and since then they had three SEHA league games against Borac, NEXE and Partizan. Cervar rotated a lot and didn't use his best players.Goalkeeper Stanic didn't appear in that games while Mijatovic and Mitrevski were rotated.  They don't have fatigue issues and they come to Barcelona fully fit. 

 - It's unnecessary to speak about the reputation, quality or strength that Barcelona have.They are a team with great players and long bench. They are a team that dominates in Spanish league - said Cervar for Nova Makedonija

- They play aggressively in the defense. The main offensive threat will come through their half backs and pivots and they have really good and fast wings. They score 50% of their goals in counter-attacks.

Former coach of the Croatian national team told he knows how to tactically outplay Barcelona but didn't want to reveal that to the press. 

- In order to get a good result we must play at our best. We have to be persistent and smart without many technical mistakes. We have to force their half backs to shoot from uncoordinated situations and cover their pivot well - said Cervar the same thing he's been repeating since his arrival at Metalurg.

Filip Mirkulovski is the only player out with an injury. He will be out for a month and his replacements for the half back position will be Atmam, Mojsovski, Vugrinc and Pecakovski. 

I must admit to haven't seeing a bigger margin on a Metalurg game since the days of Lino Cervar as a head coach. I think that this 56.5 margin is a bit exaggerated. Cervar probably can't remember when was the last time that his team conceded over 33.5 goals, today's margin on Barcelona. However, I believe that playing an overall under can pay off as Barcelona's defense is unlikely to concede more than 25 goals with Morros, Karabatic and Sorhaindo, together with Sterbik or Saric between the posts. They left Granollers on only 20 just a few days ago, and they will be taking this match very seriously to redeem themselves for a draw with Vardar in Macedonia. Also, Metalurg are expected to play long and slow attacks in a bid to prevent Barcelona from countering them. Furthermore, Metalurg's outside line is weakened by Mirkulovski's injury, and it all adds up to a very good under bet...