Real Madrid need both Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema to step up a level to cover for Cristiano Ronaldo's absence and Marco Asensio will also be given a more prominent role.
Frank Lampard, Chelsea's all-time leading scorer, netted against his old club when he came on as a late substitute for Manchester City to give the champions a 1-1 draw.
Belgium's soccer team received a hero's welcome in Brussels on Sunday, after achieving their best-ever World Cup result in Russia.
Diego Costa scored twice but could not prevent Chelsea losing their 100 percent Premier League record in a controversial 2-2 draw at Swansea on Sunday.
Schalke 04 halted the Chelsea juggernaut when they drew 1-1 in their Champions League Group G opener at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, handing a wake-up call to the London club who had won their first four games of the season.
Much-fancied Belgium fought back from a goal down to score twice in the final 20 minutes and earn a hard-fought 2-1 victory over gutsy Algeria in their World Cup Group H opener on Tuesday.
The win took second-placed Real to 62 points after 29 games, two behind champions Barca who beat Leganes 2-0 on Tuesday.
Here is a summary of stories from the English Premier League
Images from action in the Spanish Super Cup and English Premier League
Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Cech ended a highly successful 11-year spell at English champions Chelsea when he moved to Premier League rivals Arsenal on Monday.
Chelsea moved within two points of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League after a 1-0 victory over Liverpool thanks to an Olivier Giroud header at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Premier League leaders Chelsea moved 10 points clear at the top on Sunday despite being held by Burnley in an entertaining game played amid flurries of sleet and snow.
Sergio Aguero was acclaimed as "the best striker in the Premier League" by manager Manuel Pellegrini after his hat-trick helped Manchester City beat Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Juventus forward Cristiano Ronaldo's knee problem is getting better but he still might have to sit out their Champions League match at home to Atletico Madrid, coach Maurizio Sarri said on Monday.
Striker Mariano's header was glanced onto the crossbar by Sociedad's Andoni Gorosabel while the loose ball fell to Marco Asensio, whose shot was deflected wide for a corner from which Raphael Varane header hit the top of the bar.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has joked that he might make a bid to sign Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard on loan when he leaves for the United States at the end of the season.
Daryl Janmaat, Gerard Deulofeu and Roberto Pereyra all scored late on in response to Eden Hazard dragging Chelsea back into the game with a curler in the 82nd minute after Tiemoue Bakayoko was sent off for a second booking on the half-hour.
Lorenzo Insigne curled a quite wonderful shot beyond the reach of Belgium goal-keeper Thibaut Courtois after jinking in from the left flank.
France centre forward Olivier Giroud has failed to score at the World Cup in Russia but is still a vital cog in their plans for Sunday's final against Croatia in Moscow.
Didier Deschamps is confident he has prepared his players for any tactical surprises his opposite number Roberto Martinez might spring
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez said he was the "proudest man on earth" and lavished praise on his "underdog" team for having the belief to upset five-times champions Brazil on Friday to reach the World Cup semi-finals for only the second time.
It took a great escape in injury time to get there after being two goals down to Japan, but Belgium can now view their quarter-final against Brazil free of the weight of expectation.
Real Madrid clinched a record-extending 34th La Liga title with one game to spare by beating Villarreal 2-1 at home on Thursday thanks to two goals from their leading scorer Karim Benzema. Real have 86 points after 37 games, seven more than deposed champions Barcelona who were beaten 2-1 at home to Osasuna.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is unsure if the Premier League champions are over the worst following their poor start to the season, but he said on Friday that a win and two clean sheets in the last week had lifted everyone at the club.
A rousing 2-1 La Liga victory at Real Madrid on Saturday may suggest otherwise, but Atletico Madrid are still rebuilding after losing several key players in the close season, coach Diego Simeone said on Monday.
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.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho should have apologised to former team doctor Eva Carneiro for his criticism of her, Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has said.
Out-of-sorts Chelsea have a golden opportunity to restore battered self-confidence when they face Maccabi Tel Aviv in their opening Champions League Group G match.
A summary of Thursday's matches in the English Premier League.
Manchester City marched into the quarter-finals of the Champions League
Manchester City opened up a two-point lead over their neighbours Manchester United at the top of the English Premier League on Saturday thanks to another display of scintillating brilliance in a 7-2 thrashing of Stoke City at the Etihad Stadium.
'The problem with Petr is that an opponent is better than before'
Chelsea's Jose Mourinho, who hoped to celebrate his new contract with victory at an expectant Stamford Bridge, ended up grateful his team did not become the first Premier League champions to start their title defence with a defeat.
Belgium went through to the last-16 at Euro 2016 on Wednesday when Radja Nainggolan's late strike gave them a 1-0 win over Sweden, who were knocked out after scoring only once in three games.
Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois may wonder whether he even needs to turn up to face Sweden on Wednesday given his opponents' dismal attacking record at Euro 2016. The Swedes have failed to muster a single shot on target in their first two games, a statistic made all the more embarrassing by the presence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic in their attack.
IMAGES from La Liga matches played on Sunday
A round-up of Saturday's action in Serie A, La Liga and Bundesliga.
Late Griezmann strike ends Atletico's away day hoodoo
A summary of Saturday's action in Serie A and La Liga.
Second-half headers from Diego Godin and Raul Garcia gave holders Atletico Madrid a 2-0 win over Valencia and a place in the King's Cup quarter-finals by 3-1 on aggregate.
