Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has recovered sufficiently from a hamstring strain to feature in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg at Bayern Munich, sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta said on Monday.
The era when German teams always came out on top is over and Spain have replaced them as the dominant force in the world game, according to Barcelona defender Gerard Pique.
Barcelona's lead at the top of La Liga was cut after a second consecutive defeat and LeicesterCity's improbable march towards the Premier League title showed no sign of slowing as they won a fifth straight match. Juventus stayed six points clear of Napoli after Italy's top two both won and Bayern Munich extended their Bundesliga lead to seven points. Here is a summary of results from football matches played across Europe over the weekend.
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Xherdan Shaqiri scored one goal and set up three and substitute Mario Gomez notched a quick hat-trick as Bayern Munich, chasing a treble of titles, crushed VfL Wolfsburg 6-1 on Tuesday to move into the German Cup final.
Bayern Munich won their 22nd Bundesliga title in record time on Saturday by beating Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 to open up an unassailable 20-point lead with six games left in the season.
Bayern Munich tore Juventus apart on a rare off night for Andrea Pirlo and Gianluigi Buffon but had to settle for a 2-0 win after missing a hatful of chances in Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Bundesliga top scorer Robert Lewandowski scored eight minutes from time to give champions Borussia Dortmund a nervous 2-1 win at 10-man VfB Stuttgart on Saturday and delay the all but inevitable Bayern Munich title party by at least a week.
Lionel Messi fired Barcelona into the last 16 of the Champions League with two goals in their 3-0 victory at Spartak Moscow on Tuesday but holders Chelsea are walking a tightrope after a crushing defeat by Juventus.
Images from football matches played across Europe over the weekend.
Germany's professional teams have been training since mid-April, divided into small groups and under strict conditions, including extensive testing of all players and coaching staff.
Salomon Kalou and Jose Bosingwa, who featured in Chelsea's Champions League final win over Bayern Munich in May, have left the London club.
The youngest at Euro 2020 will be Poland's Kacper Kozowski - one of two 17-year-olds in the tournament, which has never happened before.
Treble winners Bayern Munich edged past Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 courtesy of a Mario Mandzukic volley on Saturday to equal their club record of 27 games without defeat as minnows Hoffenheim demolished Hamburg SV 5-1.
England left back Ashley Cole will miss holders Chelsea's Champions League Group E game at home to Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday because of a hamstring injury.
Bayern Munich are brimming with confidence ahead of Wednesday's Champions League Group F clash at home to France's Lille with president Uli Hoeness labelling their current form as "football art".
Nervy Bayern were beaten 2-0 at home by Arsenal but progressed thanks to their 3-1 success in London in the first leg.
Arsenal must stage one of the most unlikely Champions League comebacks if they are to advance at the expense of hosts Bayern Munich in their round of 16 second leg clash on Wednesday.
A summary of Saturday's football action across the world.
Stuttering La Liga leaders Barcelona suffered their second defeat by Real Madrid in five days when they went down 2-1 at the Bernabeu in Saturday's 'Clasico'.
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich effortlessly cruised to a 1-0 victory at Hoffenheim on Sunday courtesy of a Mario Gomez goal that kept them on course for the title with a 17-point advantage at the top.
Shakhtar Donetsk led the way for the Champions League underdogs as they beat holders Chelsea 2-1 while former European champions Barcelona and Manchester United came from behind to maintain perfect starts on Tuesday.
A summary of Wednesday night's action in the UEFA Champions League.
The Bavarians advanced to the German Cup last four after eliminating holders Dortmund, who had also won back-to-back league titles in 2011 and 2012, with a sparkling performance.
Leaders Manchester United moved closer to a 20th title and pushed Queens Park Rangers nearer to relegation when goals from Rafael and Ryan Giggs gave them a 2-0 win at the bottom side in the Premier League on Saturday.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger adopted a fresh approach on Friday to the persistent questions over his future, swapping tetchiness for humour as he stressed he was committed to getting the best out of his beleaguered side.
German pride took a second bashing in eight days on Saturday as their Euro 2012 countdown began in earnest with a humbling 5-3 friendly defeat by Switzerland.
New coach Pep Guardiola shuffled the cards at Bayern Munich as the treble winners beat his former club Barcelona 2-0 in a friendly on Wednesday.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has ridden out periods of turbulence in what is certain to be eight successive trophyless seasons of domestic disappointment but the heat is back on when Bayern Munich visit in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Barcelona and Bayern Munich maintained dominance of their respective leagues but there was a shock for French Ligue 1 leaders Paris St Germain who lost to end a nine-match unbeaten run.
Runaway leaders Bayern Munich won 2-0 at VfL Wolfsburg on Friday with goals from Mario Mandzukic and Arjen Robben to move a massive 18 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.
Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba is leaving Chelsea after playing a leading role in their Champions League triumph, according to a report to be published in French magazine France Football on Tuesday.
Another Champions League final another defeat, time is running out for Bayern Munich's home-grown talent to claim the top prize in European club football and cement their status as a golden generation.
Images of the Chelsea's victory parade in London
Chelsea's caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo is hoping to avoid what he described on Tuesday as the "worst-case scenario" with reserves and youngsters on the bench for the Champions League final against Bayern Munich on Saturday.
Belarussian side BATE Borisov caused one of the biggest shocks ever seen in the Champions League when they stunned last season's beaten finalists Bayern Munich 3-1 on Tuesday.
Bundesliga champions Borussia Dortmund further challenged Bayern Munich's hold over German football on Saturday by crushing their rivals 5-2 with a treble by Poland's Robert Lewandowski to lift the German Cup.
Barcelona forwards Ousmane Dembele and Lionel Messi fired the Catalans to a confidence-boosting 2-0 win at in-form Sevilla on Saturday to keep the pressure on La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid.
European champions Real Madrid will face former champions Liverpool, FC Basel and debutants Ludogorets of Bulgaria following the draw for the group stage of the Champions league on Thursday.
A goalless draw against Sevilla on Wednesday was enough to send Bayern Munich into the Champions League last four with a 2-1 aggregate victory to keep their hopes of a treble-winning season alive.
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