Van Gaal has been criticised for showing a lack of passion on the touchline but the Dutchman showed plenty.
German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is unlikely to play for Manchester United this season, manager Jose Mourinho said on Friday.
Angel Correa saw La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid snatch a 2-1 victory away to Granada on Saturday
Manchester United's hopes of a top four finish suffered a blow on Sunday as relegation-threatened Swansea City came back for a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford.
Conte said his team could face a more daunting task against the five-time European champions at the Nou Camp.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Brazil roared in the World Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory over Mexico on Monday as Neymar shone with a goal and an assist that dumped the central Americans out at the last 16 stage for the seventh straight occasion.
Arsenal's bid to win the FA Cup for a third successive year ended on Sunday when they lost 2-1 at home to Watford in a pulsating quarter-final tie.
Manchester United's teenage striker Marcus Rashford was a late inclusion against Midtjylland in Thursday's Europa League clash after a team mate was injured in the warm-up and delivered two goals in a 5-1 win for a dream debut.
Lionel Messi dragged a nervous Barcelona to a 1-0 win at home to Levante in La Liga, while Cristiano Ronaldo converted two late penalties on his 100th appearance for Juventus in all competitions as the Serie A titleholders ground out a 3-1 win away to a dogged Genoa side.
Manchester United flirted with calamity before coasting into the Europa League last 16 as debutant Marcus Rashford helped them overcome an early blow with two goals in a 5-1 home victory over Midtjylland on Thursday.
Manchester United clinched a sixth consecutive Premier League win for the first time since April 2015 as Juan Mata and Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored second-half goals in a controversial 2-0 victory at 10-man West Ham United on Monday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Arsenal scored twice in three minutes through a deflected Granit Xhaka strike and Danny Welbeck's header to claim a deserved 2-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday and inflict a first Premier League defeat on the visitors in 26 games.
Teenager Curtis Jones grabbed a 58th-minute winner as an injury-hit Liverpool qualified for the knockout stage of the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Ajax Amsterdam at Anfield on Tuesday.
The draw interrupted a run of four straight league wins for Zinedine Zidane's side and left them second on 67 points after 31 games, three behind leaders Atletico who thrashed Eibar 5-0 earlier in the day.
Five talking-points from the Premier League weekend after Manchester United extended their winning run against Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool were made to work hard for their win at Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal losing at West Ham United.
H1-B holders in the US can rest assured that changes are soon coming which will bring both simplicity and certainty to your stay, including a potential path to citizenship: Trump.
Manchester City stumbled to the most unexpected defeat of the Premier League season on Saturday before neighbours Manchester United began their brave new world under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a glorious reminder of long-forgotten attacking swagger.
Neymar has been included in Paris St Germain's squad for Wednesday's Champions League game against Bayern Munich after recovering from a foot injury, coach Unai Emery said on Tuesday.
Tottenham Hotspur climbed to third with a 3-1 win over Southampton while Chelsea hung on to fourth spot, above Arsenal on goal difference, despite a 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
After Sunday's 1-3 loss to Manchester City the calls for Jose Mourinho's ouster are only going to get louder.
None of Manchester United's injured players are likely to be fit for the next Premier League match against Newcastle United, manager Louis van Gaal said on Tuesday.
Manchester United provided some blessed relief to under-fire manager Louis van Gaal by powering into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 3-0 romp at League One (third-tier) Shrewsbury Town.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is targeting the second half of the season to build on the team's recent improvement and launch a serious Premier League challenge.
South Korea's faint hopes of reaching the last 16 of the World Cup have faded further with news that captain Ki Sung-yueng will miss their final group game against Germany.
This and more from the happenings in the world of football
Photos from the English Premier League matches played on Wednesday
Of all the managerial dilemmas facing Manchester United's Jose Mourinho after three success defeats, the future of his captain Wayne Rooney is by far the most pressing. The England captain, deployed in a central midfield role this season, has been a peripheral figure in a team struggling to gel and his lacklustre performance in the 3-1 defeat at Watford on Sunday led to widespread calls for him to be dropped. Rooney mustered one shot, did not play a single through ball and created only two chances for team mates with the nine corners and free kicks he took.
Manchester City returned to the top of the Premier League by drawing 0-0 away to Manchester United in a disappointing local derby on Sunday.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the 750th goal of his remarkable career in a 3-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv on Wednesday
Tottenham Hotspur's clash with Manchester United on Sunday will show whether manager Mauricio Pochettino made the right call when he sacrificed progress in Europe to focus on clinching Spurs' first Premier League title in 55 years.
Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney "is doing great" in his recovery from a knee injury, manager Louis van Gaal said on Friday.
Manchester United held on for a goalless draw in a feisty derby with Manchester City after midfielder Marouane Fellaini was sent off for a headbutt in the Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday.
Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa made two outstanding saves to deny Neymar as battling Mexico held Brazil to a 0-0 draw in their World Cup Group A match on Tuesday, ending the hosts' 10-game winning streak in the process.
United manager Louis van Gaal, who had come under scrutiny for sanctioning the deadline-day deal this month and had even been accused of 'panic-buying', was suitably impressed if typically understated.
Adnan Januzaj reminded Manchester United fans of his class as his 29th-minute goal earned a 1-0 win at Aston Villa and propelled them, after two humdrum triumphs, to the top of the table on Friday.
The Paris St Germain forward was both architect and executioner for Brazil, who inflicted a seventh straight last-16 exit on the central Americans, sliding home in the second half and then teeing up Roberto Firmino late on.
Manchester United's winless run continued but they gave under-fire coach Louis van Gaal crumbs of cheer with a committed display in an entertaining 0-0 draw with Chelsea while Arsenal went top of the table on Monday.
