Barcelona and Real Madrid both drew away against sides battling relegation in La Liga on Saturday as the top two focused their attentions on next week's Champions League quarter-finals.
Atletico Madrid delayed Barcelona's La Liga title celebrations by beating Valencia 3-2 at home in an entertaining game on Wednesday at a sparsely attended Wanda Metropolitano stadium.
Barcelona wasted their first chance to reach the Champions League last 16 after a surprise defeat by Celtic but Manchester United edged through and six-goal Bayern Munich rocketed closer to progression on Wednesday.
An excited Cesc Fabregas was preparing for the "greatest challenge of life" after completing his move from Arsenal to Barcelona on Monday.
Three goals in a devastating nine-minute spell at the start of the second half saw Barcelona to a 4-1 win over Athletic Bilbao in the King's Cup final on Wednesday and the first of three possible titles.
Fresh from propelling Barcelona to their fifth trophy of 2015, their prolific strikes are now seeking to break the Spanish record of goals in a calendar year when they play Real Betis on Wednesday.
Lionel Messi has often said personal accolades are secondary to the fortunes of the team and Barcelona's Argentina forward would probably swap all four of his World Player of the Year awards for a comeback success against AC Milan on Tuesday.
Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova may have finished his cancer treatment in New York and be back with the squad by the end of March, president Sandro Rosell said on Monday.
Atletico Madrid squandered a chance to cut the gap to stuttering La Liga leaders Barcelona to nine points when they were held to a 0-0 draw at fourth-placed Malaga on Sunday.
Real Madrid inflicted a second painful defeat on stuttering Barcelona in five days when Sergio Ramos nodded a late winner in a 2-1 success in La Liga on Saturday.
Lionel Messi's sublime double lifted Barcelona to a 2-0 win over bitter rivals Real Madrid and lit up an acrimonious Champions League semi-final first leg in which the hosts finished with 10 men and had coach Jose Mourinho sent off.
The excitement is building among fans of Spanish third-tier side Villanovense ahead of the visit of Barcelona in the King's Cup on Wednesday, but both sides would prefer the two-legged tie to be decided by a one-off match.
Images from the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg matches played on Wednesday
Real Madrid defender Ricardo Carvalho will miss this month's Champions League semi-final first leg against Barcelona through suspension.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique was pleased they got straight back into their stride with Tuesday's 2-1 friendly win over the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Lionel Messi hit a hat-trick as Barcelona warmed up for the El Clasico with Real Madrid next weekend with a 7-0 victory over Osasuna that put them four points off the top of La Liga.
Boxer Alvarez fumes at Messi celebration video after beating Mexico
Primera Liga top scorer Samuel Eto'o netted twice as Barcelona beat Sporting Gijon 3-1 at the Nou Camp on Sunday to restore their 12-point advantage at the top of the table.
The rest of Barcelona's squad will have to do "a little bit more" to make up for the absence of five-times World Player of the Year Lionel Messi for the next three weeks, according to captain Andres Iniesta.
Barcelona have secured the services of Pep Guardiola for one more season after their spectacularly successful coach agreed to extend his contract with the La Liga champions to the end of June 2012.
Barcelona missed a chance to virtually wrap up a third straight La Liga title when they surrendered the lead and lost 2-1 at Real Sociedad Saturday.
Lionel Messi became the first player to notch 300 La Liga goals as his double blast powered Barcelona to a 3-1 win at Sporting Gijon that sent them six points clear at the top of the table on Wednesday.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is ready for surprises when he comes up against Pep Guardiola's Bayern Munich on Wednesday in what he believes will be an open and attractive game.
Lionel Messi scored one penalty and missed another as his double helped Barcelona sweep Levante aside in the second half in a 4-1 victory on Sunday to maintain their perfect La Liga start.
Unbeaten leaders Barcelona pulled six points clear of chasing Atletico Madrid and set a record for the best start to a La Liga season when Lionel Messi scored twice in a 5-1 drubbing of Athletic Bilbao on Saturday.
David Villa took his career goals tally to 301 when he netted twice as holders Barcelona eliminated third-tier Alaves 6-1 on aggregate to qualify for the last 16 of the King's Cup on Wednesday.
Samuel Eto'o helped Barcelona stay top of the Primera Liga by scoring four first-half goals as the leaders crushed Valladolid 6-0 at the Nou Camp. The striker took his league tally for the season to 13 and matched Gonzalo Higuain's earlier heroics for Real Madrid when the Argentine striker scored all four goals as they came back with 10 men to beat promoted Malaga 4-3 at the Bernabeu.
Barcelona shook off the disappointment of their Champions League defeat by Chelsea to extend their lead in the Primera Liga to 11 points with a 2-0 defeat of Athletic Bilbao.
Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick and Lionel Messi bagged a brace as Barcelona thrashed bottom side Cordoba 8-0 on Saturday to move a step closer to their fifth La Liga title in seven years.
Ronaldinho, Deco and Samuel Eto'o do not feature in Pep Guardiola's plans at Barcelona.
Centre back Gerard Pique has returned to the Barcelona squad after injury and is fit for Wednesday's trip to Celtic in Champions League Group G.
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.
Barcelona coach has claimed that Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas wants to stay at the club despite offers from other clubs coming his way.
Thierry Henry said he will consider leaving Barcelona during the winter transfer window if coach Pep Guardiola leaves him on the bench too often.
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.
A superb late strike from Xavi allowed the Primera Liga leaders to snatch a 2-1 win away to a determined Albacete.
Real Madrid's bid to land Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur for a world record fee in the region of 100 million euros is out of place in the current economic climate, Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino said on Saturday.
An ineffectual Barcelona crashed to their first La Liga defeat of the season and failed to restore their three-point lead over Atletico Madrid at the top when they were beaten 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
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.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances