Unbeaten La Liga leaders Barcelona ended 2012 on a high when Lionel Messi struck his 91st goal of the year in a 3-1 win at Real Valladolid while their arch-rivals Real Madrid slumped to a 3-2 defeat at Malaga.
Barcelona suffered in the absence of the injured Lionel Messi as they drew 1-1 at home
IMAGES from the soccer matches played in Spain and Italy on Saturday
Spanish soccer clubs Villarreal and Getafe have denied any wrongdoing after national media reported on Friday that police are investigating possible match-fixing in a 2-2 draw between the two clubs in La Liga last year. Newspaper El Pais reported that the match was being looked at as part of Operation Oikos, which was launched last year and led to 11 people being arrested on suspicion of forming a match-fixing group to profit from betting on games.
Barcelona were hit with more bad news on Sunday when centre back Gerard Pique was ruled out for about two weeks with a calf problem.
Gonzalo Higuain came off the bench to settle Real Madrid's jitters with a superb lob that completed a 4-2 home victory over Real Valladolid in La Liga on Saturday.
Inter Milan went 10 points clear in Serie A, while French champions Olympique Lyon were knocked off the top of the Ligue 1 table by Olympique Marseille.
David Villa struck twice and David Silva and Juan Mata also scored to give rampant Valencia a 4-2 win at Real Valladolid in La Liga on Sunday.
Barcelona hammered Real Valladolid 4-0 at home on Sunday to retain their La Liga crown and brushed aside any doubts that they were about to be usurped by Real Madrid as the top club in Spain.
Barcelona moved to within a whisker of a second straight La Liga crown when Lionel Messi, Bojan Krkic and Pedro earned a nervy 3-2 win at 10-man Sevilla on Saturday.
Samuel Eto'o scored just before the break to give Barcelona a 1-0 win at Real Valladolid that briefly put them nine points clear in the Primera Liga on Saturday before Real Madrid reduced the lead to six points again with a 1-0 win at Malaga.
Messi scored twice and created goals for Arturo Vidal and Luis Suarez as champions Barca moved top of the table with 22 points from 10 matches.
Real Madrid's poor run of form continued on Saturday when the Spanish Primera Liga champions lost 1-0 at struggling Real Valladolid and missed the chance to take over from Barcelona at the top of the table. Valladolid were thrashed 6-0 by Barca at the Nou Camp last weekend but shocked a sluggish-looking Real by taking the lead shortly after the break.
Lionel Messi notched a 20th assist of the season to help a lacklustre Barcelona secure a 1-0 win away to Real Valladolid on Saturday, maintaining the pressure on La Liga leaders Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo converted two penalties, both awarded for handballs and the second in the last minute, as Serie A leader Juventus twice hit back to draw 2-2 with Atalanta to move closer to a ninth successive Serie A title on Saturday.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi will be out of action for two to three weeks with a small hamstring problem in his right leg, the Spanish champions said in a statement on Sunday.
Barcelona travel to newly-promoted Osasuna without their first choice front line.
Real Betis right-back Emerson Aparecido's first year in La Liga went superbly well, but there is plenty to come from one of the league's most talented and determined rising stars.
Barcelona's bid for a fifth La Liga title in six years suffered a surprise setback when the champions crashed to a 1-0 defeat at lowly Real Valladolid on Saturday.
Images from football matches played in the Italian Serie A and the La Liga on Friday.
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Julen Lopetegui's side were awarded a penalty early in the game after a VAR review determined forward Nolito had been fouled by Valladolid's Javi Moyano as he shaped to shoot, even though his team mates had barely appealed for a foul.
Spanish media has reported that Solari, 42, is to be relieved of his duties
With the Catalans shorn of three of their top forwards, all eyes will be on Griezmann in his first appearance at the Camp Nou since his 120-million-euro ($133 million) move from Atletico Madrid, and not least because Barca need a win to kickstart their season.
Images from Saturday's La Liga action.
Atletico Madrid won the La Liga title for the first time since 2014
Images from matches played across top football leagues in Europe.
Real play Athletic Bilbao while Barcelona visit Real Sociedad in fixtures that have often proved to be among their hardest away trips over the last decade.
Barcelona's injury crisis deepened on Wednesday after tests confirmed first-choice centre back Javier Mascherano will be out of action for upto 15 days after damaging a thigh muscle in Tuesday's 4-1 La Liga win at home to Real Sociedad.
Images from the La Liga match played between FC Barcelona and Sevilla on at Camp Nou on Sunday
Cristiano Ronaldo has recovered from a muscle strain and is ready to return to action, the Real Madrid and Portugal forward said on Monday.
Barcelona's eight-game winning run was halted following a 2-2 draw with Valencia, Atletico Madrid lost 1-0 at Real Betis and a resurgent Real Madrid secured their fourth win in a row by beating Alaves 3-0.
AC midfielder Franck Kessie scored from a penalty to give AC Milan a 2-2 draw away to Napoli in Serie A on Sunday, sparing the blushes of his goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma whose mistakes provided the hosts with both their goals. Sevilla closed in on Champions League qualification by beating struggling Real Mallorca 2-0 at home to open up a nine-point gap in the race for fourth spot in La Liga.
Champions Barcelona lost 2-0 at Celta Vigo while Getafe earned an important 2-0 win over Girona in their bid to secure Champions League qualification.
Real Madrid's stuttering season continued as they were reduced to 10 men and then slumped to an 11th La Liga defeat of the campaign by going down 3-1 at Real Sociedad.
Philippe Coutinho scored his first league goal since returning to Barcelona to help his side draw 1-1 at home to an excellent Sevilla side in La Liga on Sunday.
Barcelona have been frighteningly good at home this season, scoring 15 goals in three games at the Nou Camp.
Atletico Madrid took a giant step towards the La Liga title
Barcelona beat Girona 2-0 in a Catalan derby on Sunday to maintain their five-point lead at the top of La Liga, while Real Madrid thrashed Espanyol 4-2.
Late Griezmann strike ends Atletico's away day hoodoo
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