FC Barcelona News: 23 March 2012; Eric Abidal to Undergo Surgery Next Week, Barça Loan Keirrison (Again)

Abidal to undergo liver transplant next week - report - Goal.com
Barcelona defender Eric Abidal will undergo his liver transplant some time next week, according to Sport. The Catalan club revealed last week that the 32-year-old would have to go under the knife again due to his liver problems, although an exact date has yet to be set.

Real Madrid should win La Liga, but a few hurdles remain to give Barcelona hope -- Graham Hunter -- ESPN
The weekend of April 22 sees Barcelona host Real Madrid in a match the Catalans must win if they have any lingering hope of the title. In all the frantic calculations the Barcelona diehards (and presumably Guardiola himself, in private) have been making, this upcoming Clasico is taken as a "given" three points. Not because of complacency, but because there is no other option.

Messi has already made history: Rivaldo & Barcelona's Brazilian idols comment on the record-breaker - Goal.com
"I am delighted to see this young kid enjoy the success he is having. I saw him right at the start, the first goal he scored was from a pass of mine. Ever since I came to Barcelona I have seen in Messi a young man with massive potential and talent," Ronaldinho opined of his former team-mate in Catalunya.

Leo Messi's 234-goal journey, the best moments | FC Barcelona
06.04.2010 | He scores four goals in one game for the first time in his career. It was in the return leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Arsenal. His first three goals were scored in 21 minutes and Arsene Wegner, at the end of the game, said, "he’s like a Playstation."

Messi the most undervalued player in football, claims Moneyball author Billy Beane - Goal.com
In the past fortnight alone, the Argentina international has become the first man to score five goals in a single Champions League game and broken his club's all-time goalscoring record, all at the tender age of 24. Consequently, Beane, the man behind 'sabermetrics', is of the opinion that Messi is effectively priceless and therefore his value is impossible to quantify.

Barça have scored 150 goals this season | FC Barcelona
Even though there are two months left in the season, Guardiola’s Barça is very close to breaking all of the scoring records since the manager took charge of the Barça bench. This Tuesday, with the five goals against Granada, the team reached the 150 goals scored mark in official matches this season. The player to score the team’s latest goal, of course, was Leo Messi.

Alternatives at full back | FC Barcelona
There are two B team full backs who could also step up to cover one or both positions: right back Montoya – who has shown what he can do when Guardiola has called on him, for example against BATE or Valencia, and Muniesa, who has been training with the first team squad and took part in the game against Leverkusen.

Bayern, Juve lead Adriano hunt - Soccerway
Bayern Munich and Juventus are keeping an eye on Barcelona utility Adriano, according to reports from Spain. The 27-year-old has been a bit-part player at Camp Nou this season, making only 11 La Liga starts. Bayern have reportedly contacted Barca about Adriano's availability already, while Juventus have not yet engaged in any sort of exploratory talks.

Barcelona striker Keirrison to join Coritiba on loan - ESPN Soccernet
The two-season deal will see Keirrison, 23, return to the club where he started his professional career. "Keirrison is very happy," agent Marcos Malaquias told Gazeta do Povo. "He agreed to lower his salary. He gave up on a lucrative deal to return to Coritiba."

Real Madrid boycott press conference ahead of Real Sociedad game - ESPN Soccernet
The players trained behind closed doors on Thursday and Madrid have confirmed that neither Mourinho nor assistant Aitor Karanka will be available to speak to the media on Friday ahead of the Real Sociedad game. Villarreal's Angel Lopez believes Madrid have no justification for their complaints.

Real Madrid to build '$1 billion UAE holiday resort' - Yahoo! Eurosport
A presentation at the Bernabeu on Thursday showed plans for sports facilities, a marina, luxury hotels and villas, an amusement park, a club museum and a 10,000-seat stadium with one side open to the sea. "It is a decisive and strategic step that will strengthen our institution in the Middle East and Asia," said Real president Florentino Perez.

Malaga close on third spot with win - Yahoo! Eurosport
Malaga boosted their hopes of Champions League football next season with a 4-2 win over Rayo Vallecano at La Rosaleda. There was also a comfortable 3-0 win for Sevilla at relegation-threatened Racing Santander with Manu (52, 90+4) scoring twice after Jesus Navas (34) had opened the scoring.

Manchester United, Liverpool & Tottenham alerted as Villarreal put Giuseppe Rossi on sale - Goal.com
Villarreal will sell Giuseppe Rossi in the summer and have sounded out interest from Premier League clubs including Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham. Goal.com understands the Italy international could be available for as little as €14.5 million (£12m) at the end of the season due to Villarreal’s dire financial situation and the player’s desire to move to a bigger club.