Hleb wants fair play as Barca pair square up

BARCELONA hope to have Hibs and Dundee United chasing shadows tonight and on Saturday, and Alexander Hleb has also expressed a wish that their Scottish opponents end up kicking fresh air as well.

Barcelona have arrived in Scotland with their hopes set on preservation in what is the first stage of a pre-season tour which will wend its way towards the States later this month.

It is the kind of punishing schedule clubs such as Barcelona are committed to each summer as they seek to make the maximum financial gain, and Hleb, who is set to make his debut against Hibs tonight, is keen to be allowed time and space to settle into his new team. He yesterday said he hoped it was not "an aggressive game" against Hibs tonight, although his own team-mates seem intent on proving football is a physical game, whatever the circumstances. Lionel Messi and Mexican defender Rafa Marquez were yesterday reported to have squared-up at training.

Hleb dismissed this as just a normal training-ground incident. "It can happen in any team," he said. "It is normal. Afterwards they shook hands. It is finished."

Pep Guardiola, Barcelona's new manager, might have observed this brief fall-out with a certain feeling of satisfaction. He has been charged with re-claiming La Liga title and while the club has long been committed to stylish football, style alone will not turn Barcelona into title-winners.

He will prefer a more rigorous examination for his players tonight than the one Hleb may desire, as he seeks to make his own mark at the Nou Camp. He has already continued the Barcelona trend for adopting a training exercise known in Spanish as the "rondo".

This is essentially the piggy-in-the-middle routine with the ball, and where one or two players seek to win it back from their colleagues. It helps improve possession, but at Barcelona is also a technique which is designed to increase stamina. Hleb admitted this was a bit different to his time at Arsenal, but that he enjoyed it.

The Belarusian playmaker is noted for his fitness but has often been criticised for not imposing himself on a game in a physical sense. This is not something about which he is concerned at present as he seeks to use his time on the pitch at Murrayfield and Tannadice for the purpose of becoming acquainted with his own team-mates, rather than the studs of his opponents.

"I think these are good games for the team because there a lot of new players at the club," he said yesterday, at the team's pre-season base in St Andrews. "We need to begin to understand each other, and it is important we are not injured in these games. We are just training just now and improving our physical condition so I hope this is not an aggressive game."

Hleb later re-iterated this point when he was asked about his feelings ahead of making his debut for the club. While he said the match was important for him personally, as he begins his Barcelona odyssey, the chance to begin establishing a connection with his own team-mates is more significant, as, too, is the need to avoid succumbing to injury.

Hleb runs the risk of being known as a fragile, if extremely talented, player. He has already caused headlines in England when stating his reasons for leaving Arsenal. A chief one, he apparently said, was the fact London was too "chaotic", something which prompted one newspaper to run a graphic showing the opening times of the bars and clubs in Barcelona, compared with London. The Catalan city won comfortably.

Hleb sought to expand on his reasons for leaving Arsenal yesterday, and dismissed other reports that he had criticised Wenger as well as his team-mate, Cesc Fabregas, who he was said to have referred to as "selfish". He referred to his former manager as like a father to him, and gave the Frenchman credit for making him the player he is. His attempt to explain why he felt he needed to leave Arsenal might have raised eyebrows, however. "It was a difficult situation," he said.

"I am from Belarus and I am always with family in December for Christmas and New Year. For me that was very important. In London it was always hectic. Only football helped me. It was just a feeling I had inside me (to leave]."

Asked what was different at Arsenal, he said, with a grin. "The difference is I get two days off at Christmas at Barcelona.

"I never said anything about Arsenal or Wenger or any of the players," he continued. "This is just the English newspapers. For me Fabregas is my best friend, and I always had a very good understanding on the pitch with him. Arsene, for me, is like a father. He gave me a lot and I learned a lot under him. I think I need to say thank you to him that I now play at Barcelona. In the future, if Arsene stays at Arsenal, then Arsenal will always be at the top. He means everything for Arsenal."

Like his friend Thierry Henry on Tuesday, Hleb was gracious when asked about Scottish football. His own brother, Vyacheslav, has been linked with Hearts in the past. Hleb, himself, played against Scotland in the qualifiers for the World Cup in 2006.

"Scotland have a very good team,"he said. "They always fight until the very last minute. Every year they get better and better. I know Scotland had a good chance last year (in the European Championship qualifiers] and were a bit unlucky. But I think this time everything is possible for them. And for Belarus too!"

Late rush ensures crowd will reach at least 25,000

ORGANISERS of tonight's friendly between Hibernian and Barcelona believe they are on course to attract an attendance of at least 25,000 to Murrayfield after ticket sales picked up significantly over the last few days.

While that figure would pale into insignificance when compared with the remarkable crowd of almost 58,000 who saw Hearts play the Catalan club at the home of Scottish rugby a year ago, it would nonetheless constitute a respectable attendance for any non-competitive fixture.

Initial fears that the crowd for tonight's game would barely make it beyond the 10,000 mark have subsided thanks to a steady increase in ticket sales since the Barcelona squad arrived in Scotland on Monday for their week-long training camp at St Andrews.

Although that publicity has helped sell tickets, Hibs themselves curiously failed to take part in any pre-match media activity yesterday.

Tickets for this evening's match will remain on sale until 5pm today, but there will be no "walk-up" gate at Murrayfield because of police regulations. The game is also being televised live by Setanta Sports.

KEY CLASHES

STEVEN FLETCHER V RAFAEL MARQUEZ

Steven Fletcher should pose some difficult questions for Rafael Marquez. The Scottish football writers' young player of the year has been linked to a £4million move to Barcelona's arch rivals Real Madrid, and although that may seem far-fetched to some, there is no doubting his quality up front. Fletcher should use his pace and guile to test Marquez, whose defensive capabilities can be questionable at times.

Marquez is very much a forward thinking defender, however, he will have to keep his mind on defensive duties. Capped 83 times by Mexico, he has an excellent ability to read the game, and will quickly set about turning defence into attack.

JOHN RANKIN V XAVI HERNANDEZ

John Rankin began his career at Manchester United, but was unfortunate not to make any appearances in the top team and like so many sought first XI football elsewhere. Having impressed with Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Hibs snapped the midfielder up for £110,000 in January. However, Rankin would not be alone if he struggled against the world class Xavi Hernandez, who shone as the midfield maestro in Spain's successful Euro 2008 campaign to the extent that he was named player of the tournament. Rankin will have to stay very tight, and must attempt to cut out Xavi's deft, incisive passes, which at times are awe-inspiring.

Vice-captain of Barcelona, Xavi only joined up with the squad at St Andrews yesterday morning having been given extended leave on the back of his exertions in Switzerland and Austria in June. As well as being a dominant presence on the ball, it is his movement off it that can leave opponents for dead. Rankin will certainly learn from the experience should Xavi turn out at Murrayfield.

ROB JONES V THIERRY HENRY

The common consensus is that Henry failed in his first season in Spain. Yet he was Barcelona's top scorer and netted against both Rangers and Celtic in the Champions League. Indeed, perhaps the closest he came to the awesome talent he displayed for Arsenal was when curling an unstoppable effort beyond Artur Boruc at Parkhead in the last 16, first leg tie. The Frenchman has proved too hot to handle for some exceptional defenders over the years, and Rob Jones, who not so long ago was playing in the Unibond League in England, will have his hands full. The Hibs captain does carry a threat at set-pieces, however, especially as Barcelona are not known for their aerial presence.