Zlatan Ibrahimovic's much-anticipated return to Barcelona was scuppered on Monday when the AC Milan striker was injured in training and ruled out of Tuesday's Champions League Group H opener at the Nou Camp.
Luis Suarez scored four goals and Lionel Messi grabbed a hat-trick as Barcelona all but wrapped up their King's Cup semi-final by crushing Valencia 7-0 in the first leg at the Nou Camp on Wednesday.
Chelsea have the chance to avenge their shattering penalty shootout defeat to Manchester United in the 2008 final after being drawn to play them in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Friday.
An excited Cesc Fabregas was preparing for the "greatest challenge of life" after completing his move from Arsenal to Barcelona on Monday.
David Villa scored his first goal for Barcelona in a friendly against AC Milan on Wednesday, while behind the scenes the two clubs prepared to continue their negotiations over Barca striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
A depleted Barcelona reached the King's Cup semi-finals with a 6-3 aggregate win over Real Betis despite losing Wednesday's second leg to the second division leaders.
With Barcelona already through to the Champions League last 16 as Group D winners, Pep Guardiola gave several young players from the club's academy a chance against Rubin Kazan on Tuesday and they did not disappoint.
FIFA World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo and runner-up Lionel Messi need to reverse a surprising trend if either is to propel his side to victory in the Champions League final.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo repeated allegations that referees favour Barcelona after his side were eliminated from the Champions League by their bitter rivals in the semi-finals on Tuesday.
Barcelona's slick football at a rain-swept Nou Camp had Real Madrid chasing shadows for long periods again as the Catalans reached the Champions League final after a 1-1 draw sent the 2009 winners through 3-1 on aggregate.
Barcelona reached the Champions League final for the second time in three years when a 1-1 draw at home to Real Madrid in their semi-final second leg sent the 2009 winners through 3-1 on aggregate.
Barcelona plan to attack Real Madrid in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final second leg despite holding a 2-0 advantage from the first leg, coach Pep Guardiola said on Monday.
Lionel Messi ensured Barcelona maintained their eight-point lead over Real Madrid ahead of next weekend's Clasico, scoring twice as the leaders came back to beat basement side Almeria 3-1 in La Liga on Saturday.
Barcelona seized control of their Champions League quarter-final against Shakhtar Donetsk when an early Andres Iniesta strike paved the way for a 5-1 first-leg victory at the Nou Camp on Wednesday.
Arsenal's Dutch striker Robin van Persie described his sending-off against Barcelona as "a total joke" after his team's 3-1 defeat at the Nou Camp ended their hopes of a place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Barcelona and Shakhtar Donetsk became the first teams to reach the Champions League quarter-finals with contrasting wins over Arsenal and AS Roma, who both finished with 10 men, on Tuesday.
Barcelona have no plans to re-sign Neymar from Paris St Germain, the club's vice-president Jordi Cardoner said on Friday, knocking down media reports the La Liga champions were ready to tempt the Brazilian forward back to the Nou Camp.
Arsenal will man the barricades on Tuesday in anticipation of a Barcelona backlash while hoping that their second Champions League visit to the Nou Camp in less than a year will be less harrowing than the first.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola refused to look for excuses after the La Liga champions were humbled 2-0 at home by promoted Hercules on Saturday.
Chelsea have begun the search for Luiz Felipe Scolari's replacement, and Dutchman Frank Rijkaard appears a leading contender. Rijkaard's fellow-Dutchman Guus Hiddink is also regarded as a prime target for Chelsea, although the Russia coach appeared to distance himself from the job on Monday.
Lionel Messi returned to training on Monday after recovering from a stomach bug that caused him to miss Barcelona's goalless draw against Malaga on Saturday.
Barcelona suffered a 2-1 defeat at Arsenal and AS Roma's miserable run continued with a 3-2 home loss to Shakhtar Donetsk in Champions League last-16 first-round matches on Wednesday.
Barcelona revive their entertaining rivalry with Arsenal on Wednesday in the first leg their Champions League last 16 tie that will showcase two of the most technically gifted and attractive sides in world soccer.
Lionel Messi scored two late goals on Saturday as leaders Barcelona won 3-0 away to Hercules, their 15th consecutive victory matching the La Liga record set by Real Madrid in the 1960-61 season.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are heading for a King's Cup showdown after the great rivals won their semi-final first legs on Wednesday. Real won a controversial game 1-0 at holders Sevilla thanks to a goal from Karim Benzema while Lionel Messi struck twice as 2009 winners Barca thumped Almeria 5-0 at the Nou Camp.
Barcelona cranked up the pressure on Real Madrid by moving seven points clear at the top of La Liga on Saturday after sweeping aside Racing Santander 3-0 at the Nou Camp.
Lionel Messi celebrated a second successive World Player of the Year award with a hat-trick as Barcelona thrashed second division Real Betis 5-0 in a King's Cup quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.
Barcelona striker David Villa has said that he will do everything he can to persuade Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas to join him at the Nou Camp.
Messi's lawyers informed Barcelona, on Tuesday, that the Argentine wanted to take up a release clause in his contract which could allow him to leave for nothing.
Athletic Bilbao survived a constant state of siege to hold a weakened Barcelona to a 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp in a King's Cup last 16 first-leg match on Tuesday. La Liga leaders Barca had won 10 successive games in all competitions, scoring 31 goals in the last seven, but they ran out of ideas against their resolute Basque visitors.
Gonzalo Higuain bagged a remarkable third hat-trick in two weeks to steer Real Madrid to a 4-1 win over Real Betis on Saturday while Lionel Messi's double kept Barcelona top of La Liga with a 3-0 victory over Racing Santander.
Barcelona conjured up a magical performance that rolled back the years to Johan Cruyff's 'Dream Team'of the 1990s to crush arch-rivals Real Madrid 5-0 and move two points clear at the top of La Liga on Monday.
David Villa struck twice to lead Barcelona to a 5-0 rout of Real Madrid on Monday with a scintillating performance which put the champions two points clear of their arch-rivals at the top of the Spanish La Liga.
Barcelona stand between Chelsea and a second successive appearance in an all-English Champions League final. Manchester United, who beat Chelsea on penalties in last year's final in Moscow, take a 1-0 advantage to Arsenal on Tuesday in the other semi-final.
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.
Confusing an FC Copenhagen player into believing he was offside when clear through on goal earned Barcelona's Jose Manuel Pinto a two-match Champions League ban from UEFA on Friday.
Barcelona took another big stride towards a second-straight La Liga triumph when top scorer Lionel Messi struck twice in a 4-1 home win over relegation threatened Tenerife on Tuesday.
Inter Milan battled for more than an hour with 10 men to eliminate Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate to advance to next month's Champions League final. The second leg ended 1-0 in favour of the Spaniards.
Tireless Inter Milan produced a rip-roaring home performance to overpower Barcelona 3-1 and leave the holders in real trouble after a thrilling Champions League semi-final, first leg on Tuesday.
