Barcelona star Ronaldinho admitted his team can face some troubles without teammate Samuel Eto'o who joined the Cameroonian national team in the African Cup. "Eto'o is a pivotal player," Ronaldinho was quoted as saying by Spanish paper Sport. "It is our bad luck to miss him now while he enjoys his top form." Spanish League top scorer Eto'o will be missing up to five matches in La Liga based on Cameroon's results in the tournament that kicks-off in Egypt on Friday. The 25-year-old striker found the net 18 times in 19 games to help Barcelona go seven points clear at the top of the standings. But Ronaldinho, FIFA World Player of the Year, said the Catalans still have several options to cover the absence of Eto'o. "I can play in his position as I have played there a couple of times. We also have Maxi (Lopez) and (Henrik) Larsson and I hope the team can do well during this time," the Brazil playmaker explained.
Ronaldinho and Eto'o celebrate Ronaldinho also said that Barca's good results in the first round will be helping the team playing without pressure on their shoulders. "We shouldn't be looking to our opponents because we now have the advantage. If we kept playing like this we will be crowned league champions," he added. Frank Rijkaard's side have set a new record after clinching 17 successive wins in all competitions this season. Barcelona are tipped to retain their domestic title and they are frontrunners to win the King's cup where they have reached the quarter-finals so far. They were paired with Premiership champions Chelsea in the round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League, a repeat of last season's dramatic clash in the same round.
