Lionel Messi helped Barcelona shake off the hangover from their midweek defeat by AC Milan as the leaders rallied to a 2-1 win at home to fellow King's Cup semi-finalists Sevilla in La Liga on Saturday.
Barcelona's dismay at losing 2-0 at AC Milan in Wednesday's Champions League last-16 first leg was offset on Thursday by the news that defender Eric Abidal had been cleared to play after almost a year out to undergo a liver transplant.
Barcelona's Champions League match at AC Milan on Wednesday will be a poignant affair for interim coach Jordi Roura as he returns to the stadium where he suffered an injury that ultimately forced him to end his career.
AC Milan have been left dwelling on the past as they prepare to host Barcelona in a Champions League last-16 first leg tie on Wednesday when Lionel Messi will try to score for the Catalans for the 15th match in a row.
A stunning Mario Balotelli free-kick gave AC Milan a 2-1 win over mid-table Parma in Serie A on Friday that put them level with third-placed Lazio and a point ahead of rivals Inter Milan in the race for European places.
Mario Balotelli's troubles have followed him back to Italy after media reports on Thursday said the AC Milan striker was fined by police following a row over his parked car at a city airport.
Manchester City's volatile striker Mario Balotelli could soon be on his way back to his native Italy with sources familiar with the talks saying AC Milan and Juventus are interested in a deal.
AC Milan forward Antonio Cassano is set to join Inter, with Giampaolo Pazzini moving in the opposite direction, the two clubs said on Tuesday.
His best days may be well behind him but Ronaldinho's name still rings a bell. The 32-year-old having had a stellar career in Europe, that included spells with Paris-Saint Germain,FC Barcelona and AC Milan, is now back in native Brazil, playing with Atletico Mineoro.
A touch of romance has returned to the Champions League quarter-finals with seven countries, including Cyprus, represented in this week's first legs with AC Milan-Barcelona topping the bill.
The Brazilian, the only player to claim three World Cup winner's medals and a man often called the greatest footballer of all time, said all monies raised will help Brazil's fight against and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was charged with improper conduct by UEFA Wednesday for comments made about the referee following Arsenal's Champions League exit to AC Milan.
Napoli jumped to second place in Serie A thanks to a laboured 1-0 win at lowly Cagliari while fellow title hopefuls Inter Milan suffered a 1-0 defeat at Parma in Monday's late game.
Arsenal's miserable week got worse on Saturday when they were knocked out of the FA Cup in a 2-0 fifth round defeat at Sunderland while beleaguered Chelsea fared only slightly better by scraping a 1-1 draw against second tier Birmingham City.
Real Madrid and AC Milan led a procession of six teams into the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday while big-spending Manchester City failed again on the European stage to further dent English soccer's standing.
Leicester City's Kelechi Iheanacho scored two poacher's goals as they beat Manchester United 3-1 in their FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday to set up a last-four clash against Southampton.
Former AC Milan and Barcelona striker Ronaldinho walked out on Flamengo on Thursday after winning a court injunction releasing him from his contract, his lawyer said.
Manchester United will be without world record signing Paul Pogba for their Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Sunday due to a suspension, the Football Association said on Friday.
Playmaker Andrea Pirlo is joining New York City FC from Italian champions Juventus later this month, the clubs said on Monday.
Real Madrid coach Mourinho surprised many by including Kaka in the starting lineup for Wednesday's 4-1 Champions League win at Ajax and he responded with a performance full of verve and creativity that suggests he may be working his way back into contention.
Cristiano Ronaldo hit a hat-trick in Real Madrid's 4-1 Champions League win at Ajax Amsterdam on Wednesday but big spending trio Zenit St Petersburg, Paris St Germain and Manchester City failed to win.
Juventus scored three goals in the opening 19 minutes to destroy AS Roma 4-1 and move three points clear in Serie A on Saturday.
AC Milan beat visitors Lazio 2-0 to claim consecutive Serie A wins for the first time since February thanks to Carlos Bacca's fifth goal of the season and an M'Baye Niang penalty on Tuesday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Zlatan Ibrahimovic will become the first player since Jean-Pierre Papin to score at least 30 goals in a French league season, the former France striker predicted on Tuesday.
The PSG frontline is already formidable, with Messi's former Barca team mate Neymar and young France striker Kylian Mbappe seen as two of the best players on the planet.
AC Milan's season slumped to a new low on Sunday as they had two players sent off and lost 2-1 at Udinese while the bizarre postponement of the Cagliari-AS Roma match further damaged Serie A's fading credibility.
Juventus clinched their first Italian title for nine seasons on Sunday but not until Serie A had dished up its customary climactic mix of chaos, drama and controversy.
A summary of football matches played across Europe over the weekend.
AC Milan were booed off the pitch after suffering a shock 1-0 home defeat by Atalanta in Serie A on Saturday following a second-half Luca Cigarini strike that stunned the San Siro.
After a week of controversy caused mainly by FIFA president Sepp Blatter's comments about racism, UEFA will hope that action on the pitch dominates this week's Champions League headlines as the group stage reaches crunch time.
Dutch midfielder Nigel De Jong has been included in the AC Milan squad to face Bologna after joining the Serie A side on a three-year-contract from English champions Manchester City on Friday.
Italy and AC Milan forward Antonio Cassano will be out for a "few months" and needs heart surgery after falling ill at the weekend, the Italian champions said on Wednesday.
Holders Barcelona were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw at AC Milan in their Champions League quarter-final first leg as the attacking prowess of Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic was all but nullified on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi needs one more goal to break the Champions League season record of 12 goals, as title holders and favourites Barcelona visit AC Milan on Wednesday with the odds firmly stacked against the injury-hit Serie A team.
Struggling Inter Milan are praying their penalty curse does not strike again when they face Serie A leaders Juventus on Saturday.
AC Milan's Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato was ruled out for a month with a thigh injury on Thursday, adding to a worrying injury list for the Italian champions.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic inspired AC Milan to a 4-0 demolition of Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday, although the sorry performance of the visitors had as much to do with the scoreline as the volatile Swede's brilliance.
Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker could be sidelined for a month with an ankle injury, manager Arsene Wenger said on the eve of Wednesday's Champions League game at AC Milan.
Cristiano Ronaldo continued his record-breaking form for Portugal as he grabbed two more goals in his country's 6-0 thrashing of Luxembourg in a Euro 2024 qualifier on Sunday.
