Barcelona have received a massive psychological boost ahead of their Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid with the news that inspirational captain and defender Carles Puyol will be fit to make the starting line-up. After losing the final of the Copa del Rey last week to Jose Mourinho's men in white, any emotional boost will have come in handy for Pep Guardiola as he seeks to earn his side a first leg advantage ahead of next week's second leg at home in Barcelona.
With Barcelona's other injured defender Gabriel Milito also approaching full fitness, it would seem that in defence things look pretty positive for the Spanish champions, especially in light of the fact that Madrid have their own defensive concerns. Ex-Chelsea defender and in one of the men Mourinho has always been able to rely on since the start of his managerial career, Ricardo Carvalho, will be suspended for the game tomorrow, while the Portuguese legend also has a couple of other injury concerns to occupy his mind over the next 24 hours.
In many people's minds, the presence of Mourinho in the Spanish capital makes Real Madrid the favourites to progress to a final that will contain one of either Manchester United or Schalke, but the last thing the Madrid side need is an element of complacency to creep into their play.
With Mourinho, however, seeking to become the first man in history to lead three different clubs to Champions League glory, he will surely be doing all he can to ensure that his players keep their eye on a prize that would ensure he goes down in the history books for many, many years to come.
One thing is for certain: tomorrow night is one of those evenings to turn off your iPod shuffle and turn on your 32 inch LCD TV to watch the action!
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