FC Barcelona News: 18 February 2018

Eibar 0-2 Barça: Anything but easy | FC Barcelona
It’s wins like this that win league titles. Eibar are one of the most in-form sides in La Liga right now and for long stretches of this game had Barça against the ropes. But football is about taking your chances, and that’s what the blaugrana did to continue their 100% record against Eibar and ensure that they will stay at least seven points clear at the top of the league table (Atlético Madrid visit Bilbao on Sunday at 4.15pm CET).

Ernesto Valverde reflects on ‘difficult win’ at Ipurua | FC Barcelona
Following the 2-0 win at Eibar, Barça boss Ernesto Valverde provided some insight into why he felt the game has been so difficult and the kind of tactics he used to counter the Basque pressure. ”Eibar are on an incredible run and played top quality football” he said. “We struggled in the second half and couldn’t get into their area.”

Coutinho dropped for the good of Barcelona - Valverde | Goal
Barcelona head coach Ernesto Valverde said Philippe Coutinho was benched for the good of the team following Saturdays victory at Eibar. Despite being ineligible for Tuesday’s Champions League showdown with Chelsea following his arrival from fellow last-16 participants Liverpool, Coutinho was dropped for Barca’s 2-0 win.

Ernesto Valverde plays down talk of Andres Iniesta leaving for China | ESPN
Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde has said he will only talk about the possibility of Andres Iniesta moving to China when there’s an offer on the table. Diario Sport reported on Friday that Iniesta could walk away from Barca in “one of the biggest deals of the summer” after receiving an offer from Chinese Super League club Tianjin Quanjian worth €35 million a season.

Highlights of Eibar 0-2 FC Barcelona at Ipurua | FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona overcame a difficult test at one of the hardest places to visit these days in La Liga, Ipurua, home of Eibar, and came away with a 2-0 win. The first goal featured a tremendous assists from Leo Messi to Luis Suárez after 16 minutes, the Uruguayan rounding keeper Dmitrovic to tuck the ball home.

FC Barcelona extends unbeaten streak in La Liga to 31 games, ties all-time Club record | FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona equalled a historic feat on Saturday, stretching its La Liga undefeated run to 31-games, tying an all-time Club record that had stood for almost seven years. With a 2-0 win at Eibar on Saturday, Barça now stands just one game from setting a brand new record. Barça’s chance to break it will come at Camp Nou on Saturday, February 24, when they host fellow Catalan club, Girona. Kickoff is at 8.45pm CET.