Barcelona have the chance to secure top spot in Champions League Group C and prove they are not dependent on striker Lionel Messi to win matches when they visit Sporting on Wednesday. Barca's nine-match winning streak in the Spanish Primera Liga came to an end with a 1-1 draw at home to Getafe on Sunday, as Pep Guardiola's outfit struggled to open up their well-organised opponents.
Barcelona's hopes of staging another sensational Champions League comeback fell flat against a hardened Juventus side who held the Catalans to a 0-0 draw at the Nou Camp on Wednesday to reach the semi-finals 3-0 on aggregate.
Barcelona started strongly, with Gavi stinging the palms of Espanyol goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez in the sixth minute, shortly before Alonso glanced a header into the net, following a corner.
Barcelona will meet Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-finals following the draw on Friday while Manchester City face Tottenham Hotspur in an all-Premier League clash.
'We have to improve and become stronger in defence, which is the most important thing.'
The particular jersey worn by Jordan in the semi-final round against Lithuania was included in an auction featuring signed jerseys from all 12 members of the team.
A Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona tightened their grip on the La Liga title race with a comprehensive 4-0 win at Eibar on Sunday to open up an 11-point lead at the top. Munir El Haddadi tapped home the opener from Luis Suarez's cross before Messi doubled Barca's advantage with a brilliant individual effort just before half-time. Messi doubled his tally from the penalty spot before Suarez lashed home the fourth six minutes from time. Barca's 11th consecutive league win also stretches their record unbeaten run to 36 games. Atletico Madrid can close the gap at the top to eight points when they visit Gary Neville's Valencia later on Sunday. Real Madrid remain 12 points adrift of Barca in third despite Cristiano Ronaldo's four-goal show in a 7-1 demolition of Celta Vigo on Saturday.
Real Sociedad coach David Moyes praised his side's determined defending after their 1-0 victory over Barcelona.
Women's IM Mounika Akshaya and WGM Srija Seshadri were away for an evening walk and IM CRG Krishna was sleeping inside the room while burglars entered the apartment.
A second-string Barcelona side were beaten 2-0 at Deportivo Coruna in the Primera Liga on Saturday.
Barcelona and Sporting advanced to the Champions League knockout stage while Inter Milan and Chelsea missed the chance to guarantee their places on Tuesday.
'Leo wants to return to Barca and I would also like him to return'
Guus Hiddink has resigned as manager of Anzhi Makhachkala, the wealthy Russian club said in a statement on their website on Monday amid reports he was favourite to take over at Barcelona.
Dani Alves, who has denied any wrongdoing, was taken to the Brians 1 jail outside Barcelona.
Leaders Barcelona needed two goals in the last ten minutes to beat bottom club Osasuna 3-2 away, and moved 12 points clear at the top of the Primera Liga on Sunday.
'I've been here 20 years and many times had the opportunity to leave. I don't have to convince you my preference has always been Arsenal'
The Brazilian signed a five-year contract and will be officially unveiled on Monday.
Lionel Messi became the first player to win 10 La Liga crowns with Barcelona and only the third player from any club to do so.
Barcelona reached the last 16 of the Champions League despite being held to a 1-1 draw by a determined Basel at the Nou Camp on Tuesday.
Barcelona, reduced to 10-man in the last half-an-hour, clinched a narrow win over Valencia in their La Liga match on Sunday.
Arsenal is all set to sell skipper Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona for 50 million pounds.
Top seed Rafael Nadal produced a claycourt masterclass on Saturday to demolish German Denis Gremelmayr 6-1, 6-0 to reach the final of the Barcelona Open.
Third seed David Nalbandian recovered from a shocking start to beat Argentine compatriot Agustin Calleri 1-6, 7-6, 6-3 on Tuesday and become the first man into the third round of the Barcelona Open.
Earlier, Messi's World Cup-winning team mate Emiliano Martinez won the Lev Yashin award for the world's best goalkeeper.
Bangladesh are considering an offer to host four-times European champions Barcelona for a match when they make a pre-season visit to Asia in August.
Rangers were indebted to goalkeeper Allan McGregor for keeping Barcelona at bay in a goalless draw at Ibrox in their Champions League Group E encounter on Tuesday.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique believes his current squad is the strongest he has ever had and he is very confident of retaining the La Liga and King's Cup titles. The Spanish champions have recruited Andre Gomes, Samuel Umtiti, Lucas Digne and Denis Suarez since the end of last season while Marc Bartra, Thomas Vermaelen, Adriano Correia and Sandro Ramirez have departed. "On paper, this is the best squad that I have had in my three years at Barca," Luis Enrique told the club's website. "We have a squad that has been strengthened brilliantly.
Neymar scored twice as Barcelona reached the Champions League semi-finals.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi will be out for between six and eight weeks with a hamstring injury, the La Liga leaders said on Monday.
Eleven-times champion Rafael Nadal booked his place in the semi-finals of the Barcelona Open semi-finals by beating German Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5, 7-5 in a hard-fought match on Friday.
Players and officials of Spanish football club FC Barcelona played their last respects to former coach Tito Vilanova during a memorial service at Barcelona Cathedral on Monday.
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.
Messi played a key role in guiding Argentina to their first World Cup title in 36 years when they beat defending champions France in the final in December last year.
Rafael Nadal held off a stirring fightback from David Ferrer to beat his fellow Spaniard 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 on Sunday and become the first man to win the Barcelona Open in four consecutive years.
Real Madrid thrashed Deportivo La Coruna 6-2 to stay level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga on Wednesday after the Catalans crushed Osasuna 7-1, condemning the minnows to relegation.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique is head strong but it appears as though he may be fighting a losing battle with the four times World Player of the Year.
Barcelona surrendered a two-goal lead to slump to a shock 3-2 defeat at Real Betis in the La Liga.
How to clone Lionel Messi? Set up a Barcelona soccer school in Argentina.This was the thinking behind the Catalan club when they decided to look for more Argentine talent to nurture in their rich, world famous youth scheme.
