Two-time defending champions Spain's preparations for their Euro last 16 match with Italy were disrupted as 10 players were forced to take an anti-doping control by UEFA on Saturday.
Madrid's trip to San Sebastian was full of intrigue after Barca failed to beat Sevilla and the Catalan side's defender Gerard Pique said the title was now Madrid's for the taking.
Atletico Madrid will have centre backs Diego Godin and Stefan Savic available again for Tuesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg at Barcelona.
With no fans allowed into venues and Real playing their home games at the 6,000-capacity Alfredo Di Stefano stadium while the Santiago Bernabeu is being refurbished, it will be a title race unlike any other.
"Barcelona and Sergio Busquets signed this morning an agreement to renew the player's contract, which will end on June 30 2023," Barca said in a statement.
Lionel Messi struck a spectacular free kick, scored another goal and set up two more in a 4-1 victory for Barcelona over nine-man city rivals Espanyol in the first leg of their King's Cup last-16 clash on Wednesday.
Graham Zusi was declared as the hunkiest of all the footballers at the recently concluded World Cup that was played in Brazil.
Barcelona coach Luis Enrique declined to say if he will still be at the helm next season after leading them to a treble in his first season including Saturday's Champions League triumph over Juventus.
Real Sociedad are fourth in the table on 28 points, three points behind third-placed Sevilla.
An under-strength Barcelona got their Champions League campaign off to a solid if unspectacular start when Gerard Pique's header secured a laboured 1-0 win at home to APOEL in their Group F opener on Wednesday.
La Liga leaders Barcelona won a tight and tense 'Clasico' 1-0 at Real Madrid on Saturday, beating their great rivals at their Bernabeu home for the second time in four days and moving a staggering 12 points clear of them in the standings.
While the relation between the LJP and the JD-U has long been far from smooth, Manjhi's entry in the NDA has added to its pique against the JD-U.
Barca had the chance to go top after Real drew a fourth consecutive game in all competitions for the first time in over a decade but they were rattled by rampant Celta
Liverpool analysts had watched how Barcelona players were always distracted when decisions went against them and word was passed down to Carl Lancaster, a coaching mentor at the club's academy, who asked the ball boys to serve their players quickly.
As the world grapples with extreme weather events and climate change becomes the buzzword of contemporary times, author Amitav Ghosh says the crisis has been in the making since the 17th century and it is imperative to take into account history before beginning to tackle the issue.
The final phase of polling on Saturday will cover 78 constituencies spread across 19 north Bihar districts.
The Hindutva social media continues to present the DMK especially as anti-god, anti-Hindu and anti-Brahmin. The strategy did not work in the past, it has not worked in the present, and would not work in the future, as a massive vote-getter, asserts N Sathiya Moorthy.
Rediff.com brings you the buzz around celebrity sportspersons and their glamorous lives during the ongoing World Cup!
'I want the market to damn well close so that I know who I can count on'
Ace British tennis player Andy Murray ended his 2016 campaign on a perfect note after defeating Novak Djokovic in straights in the summit clash of the ATP World Tour Finals, assuming the mantle of year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. Murray dethroned Djokovic 6-3, 6-4 in a contest that lasted for an hour and 43 minutes to earn his first title at the ATP finals and make sure he remained No. 1 until next season. Rediff.com takes a look at the hosts of celebrities from footballers, tennis champions and Hollywood stars, who attended this big clash.
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.
The event played in one location over seven days in November could start next year, pending approval by the ITF Board.
Images from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Tuesday night.
Barcelona midfielder Rafinha has broken his nose and could miss their King's Cup semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday as well as the first match of their Champions League tie with Paris St Germain on February 14.
Lionel Messi created a goal and scored another as Barcelona came from behind to beat struggling Rayo Vallecano 3-1 at home on Saturday and stay seven points clear at the top of La Liga.
Alaba strike on Clasico debut gives Real Madrid 2-1 win at Barcelona.
King's Cup holders Barcelona beat Real Sociedad 1-0 in their quarter-final first leg to end a nine-and-a-half year barren spell at home of the Basque side while Atletico Madrid crushed Eibar on Thursday.
Holders Barcelona produced a second-half blitz to come from behind and beat Athletic Bilbao 3-1 to book a place in the King's Cup semi-finals after Atletico Madrid crashed out in a shock 3-2 defeat by Celta Vigo.
'I can write a book about Kamal Haasan. No, make that three books.'
Barca captain Messi opened the scoring with a "Panenka" penalty chipped straight down the middle in the 17th minute after Luis Suarez was fouled in the area, putting the home side ahead in the tie after a goalless first leg in France.
'I always said I wanted to play abroad but the only thing that would stop me was if I was winning and successful on home shores. I was lucky I found a great club at Manchester United it would've been almost impossible for me to leave'
Pique and Pedro put Barcelona on top of the La Liga on goal difference with a 3-0 win over Malaga and Atletico Madrid won 4-2 at Rayo Vallecano to stay hot on their heels. Check out the footballers who shone over the weekend.
Piqued over Japan's warm ties with India, an influential Chinese daily on Tuesday said New Delhi's wisdom lies in dealing with its disputes with Beijing calmly undisturbed by "internal and international provocateurs".
Barcelona star forward Lionel Messi and Read Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo have been named in the 40-man shortlist for the UEFA's Team of the Year.
Neymar finally showed the goalscoring touch he has been threatening with a hat-trick as Barcelona shrugged off their recent dip in form with a 6-1 win over Celtic at the Nou Camp on Wednesday to seal top spot in Champions League Group H.
Rediff.com brings you the buzz around celebrity sportspersons and their glamorous lives!
Six players from the Spain squad had money stolen from their hotel rooms in Recife while they played their Confederations Cup opener against Uruguay, Spanish media reported on Thursday.
Lionel Messi scored within three minutes of returning to action for the first time in more than three weeks to help fire La Liga champions Barcelona to a resounding 4-0 home win over Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday.
Proposals to revamp the Davis Cup into a season-ending 18-team event were backed by national federations at the International Tennis Federation annual general meeting in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday.
