FOOTBALL
Barça hasn’t lost the first game of the year since 2005, when they went down to Villarreal
This is the sixth time in a row that FC Barcelona start the year at the Camp Nou
The Christmas hangover doesn’t usually cause too many problems for FC Barcelona. For the last seven seasons, they have made successful returns from the festive break, be that in the league or cup.
Three wins and a draw under Guardiola With Josep Guardiola on the bench, Barça almost always got off to a winning start. Last year against Osasuna, they cruised home in the cup, 4-0. A year before that, Levante were the victims, 2-1, on the day that Xavi equalled Migueli’s all-time clubn record for appearances Three years ago, the squad was able to present the fans with the six trophies won in 2009, but could only celebrate with a draw against Villarreal (1-1). 2009 had got off to a a great start, when Barça beat Mallorca 3-1. No loss since 2005 We have to go back another four years to find the first case of FCB losing the first game of a calendar year. That was also against Villarreal (3-0), with Frank Rijkaard on the bench. Since then, the team beat Zamora in a cup match (1-3), drew with Getafe in La Liga (1-1) and also drew in the cup with Alcoyano, the day that Oier made hisn first team debut (2-2). The last time that FC Barcelona played a game on January 6, which is a holiday in Catalonia, was in 2002. Goals from Kluivert and Saviola were enough to beat Zaragoza.