Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, find themselves in the bizarre situation of having made poor starts to the campaign
Juan Mata's deflected late winner gave holders Valencia a 3-2 victory over 2007 winners Sevilla in the first leg of their King's Cup quarter-final on Wednesday.
Real Madrid battled back from a goal down to beat bottom-of-the-table Osasuna 3-1 on Sunday and reclaim second spot in the Primera Liga from Sevilla, 12 points behind leaders Barcelona.
Thierry Henry came off the bench to rescue a point for Barcelona as the leaders came back to draw 2-2 at Valencia in the Primera Liga on Saturday.
The Primera Liga title will be decided by "El Clasico" between leaders Barcelona and second-placed Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in just under two weeks, according to Real midfielder Lassana Diarra.
The shock appointment of Juande Ramos to replace Bernd Schuster as Real Madrid coach on Tuesday gives this year's first Primera Liga "Clasico" between the champions and leaders Barcelona an intriguing twist.
Troubled Liverpool conceded a last-gasp goal in a 1-1 draw at Olympique Lyon on Wednesday, leaving them in danger of an early UEFA Champions League exit, while Inter Milan were on the right end of some late drama. European champions Barcelona, beaten 2-1 at home by Rubin Kazan two weeks ago, were held to a goalless draw away to the Russians in freezing conditions.
Holders Barcelona suffered a stunning 2-1 home defeat by Russia's Rubin Kazan while Liverpool lost by the same score to Olympique Lyon at Anfield on a night of high drama and late goals in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Spanish soccer's 'El Clasico' encounters between Barcelona and Real Madrid will happen in December and April, two of the most anticipated games of the 2016-17 Primera Division season whose fixtures were announced on Friday. Defending champions Barca host Real on Dec. 4 at the Camp Nou. The reverse fixture will take place on April 23, at the Bernabeu stadium, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) confirmed after the draw. As the La Liga season kicks off, Barca will begin their title defence at home to Real Betis on Aug. 21.
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero has been ruled out for a month with a calf injury sustained in Saturday's 6-3 win over Arsenal, manager Manuel Pellegrini said on Monday.
Real Madrid's Gareth Bale came off the bench and coolly converted a controversial penalty to secure a 2-1 win at Levante in La Liga on Sunday as the European champions rode their luck to stay within nine points of leaders Barcelona.
Udinese inflicted more misery on hapless Tottenham Hotspur with a 2-0 UEFA Cup group stage victory.
The 46-year-old has been hired to fill the sizeable void left by the departure of Frenchman Arsene Wenger who had been at the Arsenal helm since 1996.
Three consecutive defeats by direct rivals in the Primera Liga has left Atletico Madrid coach Javier Aguirre under pressure to get a good result against Liverpool at home in the Champions League.
Substitute Christian Poulsen finally found favour with Juventus fans when he scored in injury time to seal a remarkable 2-1 win at Catania on Sunday.
Poland striker Robert Lewandowski can finish Euro 2016 without a goal to his name as long as the team keep grinding out results starting with Saturday's last-16 clash against Switzerland, coach Adam Nawalka said on Friday. The Poles eked out 1-0 wins over Northern Ireland and Ukraine and a 0-0 draw against Germany in the group stage, with Lewandowski often dropping into a deeper role to create space for strike partner Arkadiusz Milik.
Zidane plays down Ronaldo injury; Liverpool's Gomez sidelined after surgey
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While Gareth Bale is fully expected to regain his place in the Real Madrid side when he returns from injury, team mate Isco is making the most of his chance to prove his worth on the pitch.
Brazilian Ronaldinho struck deep into injury time to give favourites AC Milan a 1-0 UEFA Cup group stage win at home to Braga on Thursday while twice winners Sevilla suffered a 1-0 defeat at Standard Liege.
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Lionel Messi squeezed home a stoppage-time penalty to grab a 3-2 win for champions Barcelona at Valencia in a thrilling and controversial La Liga match on Sunday.
Barcelona's last Champions League triumph came in 2015, and since then they have failed to get beyond the quarter-finals while Real Madrid have monopolised the trophy.
Forward Ryan Babel has been ruled out of the Dutch squad for Euro 2008 after suffering an ankle injury in training on Saturday, the Dutch FA (KNVB) said in a statement.
Barcelona have written permission from Cameroon to delay striker Samuel Eto'o joining the country's African Nations Cup preparations until Saturday, the Primera Liga club's coach Frank Rijkaard said on Tuesday.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp is certain his side will improve next season and feels that his first seven months at the Merseyside club have provided a solid foundation for the future.
Valencia rescued a miserable season by claiming their seventh King's Cup with a 3-1 final win over Getafe.
Cosmas Lagat of Kenya and Worknesh Alemu of Ethiopia surprised pre-race favourites to win the men's and women's crowns respectively in the US $405,000 Tata Mumbai Marathon, in Mumbai, on Sunday.
Lionel Messi netted the 400th goal of his storied career on Saturday as Barcelona trounced Granada 6-0 to maintain the pace at the top of La Liga.
A delightful flick and volley from Neymar allowed him to complete a double as Barcelona beat Villarreal 3-0 to go three points clear at the top of La Liga ahead of Real Madrid's clash with Sevilla later on Sunday.
Real Madrid's teenage Brazilian duo Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo Goes sent them top of La Liga as both scored in a 2-0 win over Osasuna on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi struck late to help Barcelona seal a place in the King's Cup final on Wednesday, a 1-1 draw at Real Mallorca completing a 3-1 aggregate victory for the Primera Liga leaders. Barcelona will play Athletic Bilbao in the May 13 final in Valencia after the Basque club beat Sevilla 3-0 at home to overturn a 2-1 defeat from last month's first leg.
Barcelona beat Celtic away, holders AC Milan and Arsenal drew goalless while Fenerbahce beat Spanish rivals Sevilla in Wednesday's other Champions League last 16 first-leg matches.
All you must know about soccer's return to action after coronavirus
Champions Barcelona moved five points clear at the top of La Liga with a 2-1 win at Getafe, while Real Madrid fell to a 2-0 defeat by Real Sociedad.
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Real Madrid opened a two-point lead over Villarreal at the top of La Liga when Cristiano Ronaldo set a club scoring record in a 3-0 stroll at home to Levante on Saturday.
'I speak with Cristiano all the time and I know him very well. He knows that until now he played 60-70 games a season and the accumulation of all those years meant he needs to rest a little'
The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff will host the 2017 Champions League final, UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said on Tuesday. The Friends Arena in Stockholm will be the venue for the 2017 Europa League final.
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