Spain left-back Jordi Alba knows his Barcelona teammate Arda Turan of Turkey is under a lot of pressure to put in a strong performance on Friday when their sides meet at Euro 2016.
Barcelona's early season form has been on a par with their habitually high standards but as they prepare to visit Celtic in the Champions League there remains a question mark hanging over their makeshift defence.
Champions Real Madrid were beaten at home by promoted Cadiz, while Barcelona fell to their first defeat in La Liga under new coach Ronald Koeman as they lost to Getafe.
The millions of fans around the globe who will tune in to watch Sunday's 'Clasico' in Barcelona could witness the death throes of Real Madrid's La Liga title challenge in their seventh match of the season. Defeat at the Nou Camp for Jose Mourinho's side, who are chasing a second consecutive title after ending Barca's three-year run as champions, would stretch the Catalan club's lead over their bitter rivals to 11 points.
A summary of Saturday's football action across the world.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
'The pandemic has caused football to change a lot, and for the worse. You can see it in the matches, and I hope this all ends soon and we can get fans back into the stadiums and return to normality.'
Barcelona's Lionel Messi scored twice in a 3-0 win over Las Palmas in a match played without fans following clashes between police and voters in Catalonia over a disputed independence referendum.
Images from the football matches played across Europe on Wednesday.
'We have to do a lot of self criticism because this is the second time that the same thing has happened to us. We cannot commit the same mistake two years in a row, there are many things we need to consider and think about'
Barca feel familiar February blues as tiredness sets in
IMAGES from the Champions League quarter-final played between Barcelona and Bayern Munich in Lisbon on Friday.
Real Madrid's resurgent La Liga run skidded to a halt as they fell to a shock 2-1 defeat at home by struggling Girona on Sunday in which captain Sergio Ramos was sent off in added time, leaving them nine points adrift of leaders Barcelona.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique has ended uncertainty over his future by agreeing a one-year contract extension with the Spanish and European champions until the end of the 2016-17 season.
Barcelona head into Saturday's 'Clasico' against Real Madrid with a whopping 11-point gap over their bitter rivals in the Liga title race -- and they also have the advantage in financial terms, albeit by smaller margins.
Sevilla midfielder Aleix Vidal will join treble winners Barcelona.
La Liga leaders Barcelona were held to a 2-2 home draw by Celta Vigo on Saturday as their former assistant coach Juan Carlos Unzue dented the title hopes of the Catalans, who dropped points for the second game in a row for the first time this campaign.
A summary of Wednesday night's action in the UEFA Champions League.
Real Madrid dropped points for the third time in seven games since Zinedine Zidane's return as they were held to a 0-0 draw away to Getafe in La Liga on Thursday, which harmed their neighbours' hopes of a top-four finish.
Barcelona defender Eric Abidal is to have a liver transplant, the Spanish and European champions said on Thursday.
Real Madrid claimed their first Spanish Super Cup in four years and a morale-boosting success against their arch-rivals when Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo struck in a 2-1 win against 10-man Barcelona on Wednesday.
Barcelona are suing Neymar for 8.5 million euros for alleged breach of contract and demanding he return the loyalty bonus paid after he renewed his deal in October, less than a year before he signed for Paris St. Germain, the club said Tuesday.
Cesc Fabregas has finally signed for Barcelona on a five-year deal.
Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola has termed his former club Barcelona as the 'best team in the world', after both the teams were being drawn against each other for the high-octane Champions League semi-final clash.
Aseem Chhabra lists his favourite films from the recent Toronto International Film Festival.
Barcelona's most successful manager Pep Guardiola will walk away from the Catalans at the end of the season and will be replaced by his assistant Tito Vilanova, the club announced on Friday.
Whatever happens in the Champions League final in Munich next month, Chelsea's astonishing 3-2 aggregate win over Barcelona's artisans at the Nou Camp in Tuesday's semi-final will go down as one of the club's greatest achievements.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is in danger of tarnishing his reputation as the man with the Midas touch when the holders seek to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Chelsea in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final second leg at the Nou Camp.
Lionel Messi scored his 12th league goal of the season but Barcelona had to rely on exceptional saves from Marc-Andre ter Stegen as they rode their luck to win 2-0 at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday and stay four points clear at the top of La Liga.
A round-up of all football-related news...
Lionel Messi played down his impact at Barcelona on Monday, saying coach Pep Guardiola is more important to the Catalans.
In the women's section being held simultaneously, the Indians came back strongly to beat Poland 3-1 aided by victories from D Harika and Tania Sachdev on board two and three. Its surprising that Tania Sachdev was rested in the previous round when the Indian team drew with Serbia, losing on last two boards.
The Catalans are overwhelming favourites to win the game and have an outstanding home record in the Champions League, remaining unbeaten at the Nou Camp in the competition since losing to Bayern Munich in 2013.
Barcelona's bid for a fourth straight La Liga title is foundering due to their erratic away form but Tuesday's 3-1 Champions League victory at Bayer Leverkusen suggests they are unlikely to suffer the same problem in Europe.
Rediff.com gives you a glimpse of the jubilant Catalan team...
Rafa Nadal became the first player in the open era to win two tournaments seven times when he fought off tenacious Spanish compatriot David Ferrer 7-6, 7-5 to win a thrilling Barcelona Open final on Sunday.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has paid an emotional tribute to Pep Guardiola, after he announced leaving the Catalans at the end of the season.
The Argentine failed to find the net for Barcelona in either leg of the Champions League semi-final, meaning he has now been unable to score against Chelsea in eight outings, by far his worst record against any club.
Images from the El Clasico match between Barcelona and Real Madrid played at Camp Nou on Saturday.
Following is a selection of Spanish words and phrases which help explain the intense rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona played out in the El Clasicos
