Ferran Torres struck twice as Barcelona marked their long-awaited return to their Camp Nou Stadium with an emphatic 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
IMAGES from UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday
Images from the Europa League semi-finals second leg between Manchester United and Athletic Bilbao, Tottenham Hotspur and Bodo/Glimt, on Thursday.
A stoppage-time finish from Rayan Cherki earned Olympique Lyonnais a dramatic 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final.
Ernesto Valverde's Bilbao team punished the visitors with clinical counter-attacks, playing with the advantage of having won the first leg 1-0 in Madrid.
Barcelona are top of La Liga and have lifted back-to-back league titles under the Spanish coach, but there are concerns over the team's levels of performance and style.
The 55-year-old Ernesto Valverde, who led Barcelona to successive La Liga titles in 2018 and 2019, came under fire this season for the team's dip in performance levels even though they top the league standings at the halfway point of the campaign.
Valverde believes the match should go ahead as planned.
Barcelona have been 'harmed' by this week's La Liga fixture schedule, coach Ernesto Valverde said on Wednesday.
Barca feel familiar February blues as tiredness sets in
The only goal of the game came from a clever cross by Lionel Messi although Barca's captain was kept unusually quiet for the remainder, after being left with a bloodied face from a clash with United's Chris Smalling.
Spanish media had reported that Xavi had been approached by Barca to replace Ernesto Valverde before Quique Setien was appointed in January.
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.
Sergio Busquets called on Barcelona to sign more players after the club's 3-1 Spanish Super Cup defeat by Real Madrid on Sunday.
Messi opened the scoring at the Nou Camp with an audacious chipped penalty then restored control in the tie after Lyon had pulled a goal back to make it 2-1, hitting a decisive third goal after a trademark dazzling run to shake off four defenders.
Barcelona named former Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde on Monday as the successor to Luis Enrique and he will take charge of the La Liga runners-up on a two-year contract.
Paris St Germain will be without the talismanic Zlatan Ibrahimovic for the return match but are still favourites to progress after beating Valencia 2-1 in their Champions League last-16 first leg on Tuesday.
Valencia coach Ernesto Valverde has said the instability at the club has convinced him it is best to leave after they lost 4-3 at Sevilla on the final day of the La Liga season on Saturday and missed out on a Champions League place.
Valencia are expecting a counter-attacking team such as Real Madrid rather than a possession-hungry side like Barcelona when they host Paris St Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, coach Ernesto Valverde said.
Barcelona said on Saturday they had named former midfielder and captain Xavi Hernandez as head coach on a contract until 2024, following the sacking of Ronald Koeman.
Valencia ended a miserable week on a high when they came from behind to snatch a 3-2 win at struggling 10-man Deportivo La Coruna that lifted them to fifth in La Liga on Saturday.
Valencia have agreed to appoint Ernesto Valverde to replace Mauricio Pellegrino as their new coach until the end of the season, the Spanish club said on Monday.
"I don't know how this affects my future," Valverde said.
Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde's conservatism was cited by the Spanish media as the main reason for their 3-0 defeat at AS Roma on Tuesday that led to a shock Champions League quarter-final elimination being regarded as 'a historic debacle'.
Barcelona have been haunted by their recent failures in the Champions League and there are concerning signs for the Catalans as they prepare for Tuesday's last-16 first leg away to Olympique Lyonnais.
Villarreal romped to a 5-0 home victory over promoted Tenerife on Sunday, continuing their revival after a poor start to the La Liga campaign.
The Argentine's representatives and Barcelona did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Barcelona's players will bear the city's name on the back of their shirts in tribute to the victims of Thursday's deadly attack in the Catalan capital when they play Real Betis in La Liga on Sunday, the club said in a statement.
Having won eight of the past 12 league titles coming into this campaign, where has it gone so wrong for Barcelona?
Champions Barcelona lost 2-0 at Celta Vigo while Getafe earned an important 2-0 win over Girona in their bid to secure Champions League qualification.
Athletic Bilbao's Spanish Super Cup victory against Barcelona not only earned them their first major trophy in 31 years but also ended coach Ernesto Valverde's long wait for silverware.
Lionel Messi's fifth-place finish in this year's Ballon d'Or vote was absurd, Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde said of the Spanish champions' Argentina forward on Tuesday.
Argentine Dybala has scored seven goals in four games for Juventus this season, including a hat-trick against Genoa in Serie A on August 26.
Pochettino picks Barcelona as favourites to win Champions League
Lukaku, who was signed for around 80 million euros (71.2 million pounds) from Manchester United in the close season, is the club's leading goalscorer in Serie A alongside midfielder Stefano Sensi, with three goals.
The draw means second-placed Atletico Madrid could close the 12-point gap with Barcelona, who are on 74 points, if they beat Celta Vigo later on Saturday.
Barca play their final league La Liga game of the season at Alaves on Sunday before hosting Napoli on Aug. 8 in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Valverde's knowledge of Barca and his many years of experience of coaching in Spain saw him pip Argentine Jorge Sampaoli and Luis Enrique's assistant Juan Carlos Unzue to the top job.
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