Spain are still favourites to finish top of Group E above Sweden, Poland and Slovakia but, after struggling to break down conservative sides such as Georgia and Greece in March, they know coming first will not be a procession.
Here are five talking points from the final weekend of the Premier League season:
Stephan El Shaarawy took a small step towards refuelling his career at Monaco when the AC Milan loanee came off the bench to rescue a late 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League's second round of group matches on Thursday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
An air of familiarity will pervade the Champions League return of PSV Eindhoven and Manchester United when they open their Group B campaign in the Netherlands on Tuesday.
News of all that transpired on and off the football field.
Images from the Champions League matches played across Europe on Tuesday
The brain may be sharp as ever, but the legs seem heavier, the pace worryingly slower. He's still only 32, but the strain of a decade-and-a-half of paranormal activity on the pitch may just be piling up.
England striker Daniel Sturridge, who has not played since the end of August, is back in training and could return to the Liverpool side soon, manager Brendan Rodgers said on Thursday.
Holders Real Madrid chased away some of their early-season blues when Gareth Bale scored the pick of the goals in a 5-1 rout of FC Basel in their Champions League Group B opener on Tuesday.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hopes his players return injury-free from the international break this month for a hectic run of fixtures that could define the Premier League champions' season.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
The English Premier League season will restart on June 17 provided all safety requirements have been put in place, the league said on Thursday after meeting with all 20 clubs. The season will get back under way on that Wednesday with Aston Villa vs Sheffield United and Manchester City vs Arsenal, which are both games in hand.
Germany midfielder Toni Kroos has eased Real Madrid's injury concerns and could be fit to play in their Champions League match at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, coach Zinedine Zidane said.
Real, Barca topple United off perch to become top earning clubs
Spain coach Luis Enrique said football had been unfair to his side after Thursday's dramatic 3-2 defeat in Croatia left them in danger of failing to reach the UEFA Nations League finals.
The Egyptian Football Association denied reports that talismanic striker Mohamed Salah was on the verge of quitting international football
West Ham United's Michail Antonio has come to the defence of teammate Kurt Zouma, who has been targeted by fans for abusing his cats.
Brazil coach Tite has recalled veteran central defender Thiago Silva to his squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Bolivia and Venezuela.
Behind closed doors and with a raft of health safety measures in place, Indian Super League (ISL) will kick off in Bambolin on Friday and become the country's first major tournament to be organised since the enforcement of a COVID-19 lockdown eight months ago.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Thursday
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Pogba suffered the injury in United's 3-0 Champions League win over Basel this month.
Slovakia defender Martin Skrtel will have no second thoughts about kicking England striker Daniel Sturridge, his Liverpool team mate, to help his country win their final Euro 2016 Group B game on Monday. England top the standings with four points from two games, one ahead of Slovakia and Wales with Russia at the bottom on one. "We can be friends before and after the game but on the pitch there is no friendship and I am sure Daniel would tell you the same thing," Skrtel told a news conference on Sunday.
Christian Eriksen kept Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of completing a remarkable salvage job and reaching the last 16 of the Champions League alive with a late winner in his side's 1-0 victory over Inter Milan at Wembley on Wednesday.
The tournament brings together the six continental champions from across the world, with European Champions League winners Bayern Munich the first to have qualified.
Arsenal's Aubameyang compared to Henry after his derby double
Spanish second division side Rayo Vallecano refused to turn up for the first day of group training due to a dispute with the club hierarchy over a pay cut for staff and players, a club source said on Monday.
Leicester City defender Danny Simpson has signed a new three-year contract that will keep him at the club until 2019. "I've been here two years now and the club is going places," the 29-year-old former Manchester United full back told Leicester's website (www.lcfc.com) on Thursday.
Steven Gerrard is to have surgery on his groin that is likely to rule him out of England's opening two World Cup qualifiers next month.
'England's system does not suit Sterling -- or certainly not in the position he is currently occupying'
Washington is signalling to Delhi that it can rely on American support in any great game vis-a-vis China. Delhi shouldn't fall into the trap, argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Southampton's 15 million pound ($19.19 million) purchase of Lazio centre back Wesley Hoedt brought the overall spend by England's 20 elite clubs to a record 1.184.9 billion pounds.
The Bavarians, who have won the last seven league titles in Germany, last lifted Europe's top club trophy in 2013.
Injury-hit English clubs, Liverpool and Chelsea also open their European campaign on Tuesday.
The Group L fixture, to be played under tight security in the Serbian capital, comes after England's black players suffered racist abuse at their Euro 2020 qualifier at neighbouring Bulgaria on October 14.
Former Manchester United striker Andy Cole is recovering in hospital after undergoing a kidney transplant, the club said in a statement on Friday.
Atletico Madrid defender Stefan Savic has spoken of his joy at returning to train for the first time after being cooped up at home for over two months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Spain's restrictions were eased last week and Atletico, like all clubs in Spain's top two divisions, returned to individual training as part of the league's four-step plan to return to activity.
The club versus country row which has dogged England in the past reared its ugly head once again with manager Roy Hodgson saying he should not be solely responsible for resting 'tired' Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling.
