Barcelona v Villarreal
Barcelona will begin the new year amid a party atmosphere as they prepare to celebrate their incredible six-trophy haul from 2009 at the Nou Camp prior to their clash at home to Villarreal.Barca scooped an historic treble of league, Copa del Rey and Champions League titles last season, their first under former captain Pep Guardiola.
And the Catalans subsequently added the Spanish and European Supercups to their list of titles won in 2009, as well as the World Club Cup last month.
That unprecedented haul of six trophies is impossible to better and means Guardiola has won all of the competitions his team have competed in since his arrival as coach.
The new year begins with Barcelona top of the league this time around, with a two-point lead over fierce rivals Real Madrid.
The Catalans host Villarreal in their first match of the year, and will show off their six trophies to the Nou Camp crowd before that clash.
Barca have invited players who left the club in the summer, most notably striker Samuel Eto'o, who left to join Inter Milan, to participate in the celebrations.
Following their World Club Cup win in December, Guardiola said that his team would struggle to maintain their intensity, with a natural period of relaxation likely.
However, full-back Eric Abidal claims Barca are fired up for the game against Villarreal.
"This match is the most important one because it is the first of 2010, it's at home, Villarreal are a good team and I'm sure they will be coming here looking for a good result,'' he said.
Abidal believes that a repeat of last season's treble is unlikely, but hopes Barcelona can win at least one title at the end of the current campaign.
"We still don't know what will happen, but it (winning the treble) is difficult to repeat - we know it is complicated to win titles,'' he said.
And the France full-back says the league is Barca's main priority this season.
"The league is our objective, and then there is the Champions League, which is always a goal as well,'' he said.
Abidal was sent off as Barca failed to beat Villarreal at the Nou Camp last season. Following his dismissal, Barcelona relinquished a 3-1 lead on a night when a win would have seen the Catalans crowned league champions.
The match ended 3-3 and Barca's celebrations were put on hold for another week.
Guardiola's side are virtually full-strength this time around, although Jeffren and Seydou Keita miss out through injury.
Villarreal changed coach in the summer, when Manuel Pellegrini left the club after five years to join Real Madrid. The Chilean was replaced by former Espanyol coach Ernesto Valverde.
Valverde was under pressure as Villarreal failed to win any of the first seven league games of his tenure, but the club has since won six of the last eight matches and they are now in the top half of the table, only six points behind fifth-placed Mallorca.
Valverde, who spent two years at Barcelona as a player, says Villarreal will set out for victory.
"We are up against a euphoric rival, but we are going to try and win the game, despite what it means to come up against Barcelona and play at their ground,'' he said yesterday.
Villarreal drew at the Nou Camp last season and won there the year before that, when they finished second in the league.
And Valverde says those results prove the club can compete with the very best.
"We have got good results there in each of the last two seasons and that shows we are a team who can make things difficult for the big clubs,'' he said.
Gonzalo Rodriguez remains sidelined, but Villarreal should be otherwise full-strength for the trip to Barcelona.
ESPNsoccernet
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