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Llevant UD v FC Barcelona: Barça's five goal feast maintains 100% record

September 22, 2014 10:52 AM | Nick Bedson

Barça put five past Levante in Valencia on Sunday evening, with Neymar, Rakitic, Sandro, Pedro and Messi all on target. FC Barcelona has obtained 12 points from 12, 11 goals scored and none conceded for Luis Enrique’s team, who’ve made an impressive start to their three game week, with Malaga and Granada next up. Barça beat Llevant to continue both their unbeaten record and keep yet another clean sheet, which Luis Enrique feels “goes to show even more our idea of playing as team … Rather than singling anyone out in particular, I’ll just say that I was happy with all of them.”

FC Barcelona vs APOEL FC: Winning start (1-0)

September 18, 2014 10:37 AM | Mike Roberts

Luis Enrique was able to celebrate his managerial debut in the Champions League with three points, but just as he had warned beforehand, the APOEL Nicosia presented a far tougher challenge than many had predicted. Despite dominating almost of the play, Barça only found the net once, a Gerard Piqué header after 27 minutes. Ter Stegen pulled on the goalkeeper’s jersey for the first time in an official match, and the night also meant the first starts of the season for Bartra, Adriano, Samper, Xavi and Sergi Roberto. The starting eleven featured no fewer than nine changes with respect to the one that beat Bilbao at the weekend.

FC Barcelona vs APOEL FC: Champions League kicks off!

September 17, 2014 02:49 PM | Jordi Clos

Barça are about to get their 2014/15 Champions League bid under way against APOEL of Nicosia at the Camp Nou. Top of the Liga table with three wins out of three and no goals conceded, they’re in a buoyant mood at the moment, and now’s the time to carry that excellent form across into Europe against the Cypriot champions, the first game in a group that also includes Ajax and Paris Saint-Germain. Luis Enrique has called on the fans for their support and promised a "spectacular game". This will be the Asturian’s first game in charge of a team in Europe’s premier club competition, for which Dani Alves is included after being declared fully recovered from his knee injury, and fellow Brazilian Douglas has been named in the side for the first time since arriving at FC Barcelona.

Villarreal v FC Barcelona 0-1: Sandro gives Barça the points at El Madrigal

September 1, 2014 10:33 AM | Nick Bedson

A late goal from B team youngster Sandro gave Barça the three points at El Madrigal in a hard fought game that Luis Enrique’s side dominated, though they found it tough going at times against a determined Villarreal defence. Sandro ensured Barça go into the international break with two Spanish League wins out of two, leading the domestic championship.From the off, Leo Messi, wearing the captain’s armband in Iniesta’s absence, again looked sharp as he combined well down the right with Dani Alves and the Argentinean and Pedro had the best of the early chances, as Villarreal were forced into some desperate defending.

FC Barcelona announces an initial agreement for wing back Douglas Pereira

August 27, 2014 03:44 PM

FC Barcelona and São Paulo FC have reached an initial agreement for the transfer of defender Douglas Pereira. The deal will cost Barça €4 million with performance variables of another €1.5 million based on number of games played. Douglas will sign a 5 year deal. The Brazilian player will travel to Barcelona for a medical at the end of this week, when he will also put pen to paper on the contract. He will be officially presented as the Catalan club’s latest summer signing. The 24-year-old Douglas is a pacey right wing back who after three seasons, 75 appearances and 5 goals for his home town club of Goiás signed for Sao Paolo in 2012. Over the last three seasons, Douglas has played 95 matches for Sao Paolo and scored 4 goals.

FC Barcelona vs Club León: Barça's promising night (6-0)

August 19, 2014 10:12 AM | Roger Bogunyà

With less than a week to go till the start of the Spanish League season, Barça put on an encouraging show for the Camp Nou this Monday evening, putting six past Club Leon to take the 49th edition of the Joan Gamper Trophy.  Goals from Messi, Neymar (2), Munir (2) and Sandro gave the side their second 6-0 win of the pre-season and to add to the upbeat atmosphere, Luis Suárez  made his debut, coming on for the final quarter of an hour. With only Ter Stegen and Vermaelen unavailable, Luis Enrique sent out a strong starting XI, with Alves and Jordi Alba outside Mascherano and Mathieu at the heart of the defence and a front three of Messi, Rafinho and Neymar Jr,  ahead of Rakitic, Busquets and Iniesta.

Napoli v FC Barcelona: toughest test yet

August 6, 2014 04:11 PM | Roger Bogunyà

Napoli and Barça feature in one of the pre-season’s most attractive friendlies this Wednesday evening in Geneva (8PM CET). Luis Enrique’s side are in the middle of their pre- season preparations and after Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Nice, they fly to Helsinki on Saturday, just 72 hours after facing the Italians, for their third friendly in a week.Adriano, Xavi, Mathieu and Patric all miss the Geneva trip to play against Napoli as do Messi, Neymar, Mascherano and Alves.

FC Barcelona vs Getafe: Cruel draw puts an end to Barça’s League title bid (2-2)

May 4, 2014 01:35 PM | Roger Bogunyà

The Camp Nou was witness to a game that produced a bitter twist right at the end. Lafita scored for Getafe in injury time and the draw leaves FC Barcelona with practically no hope whatsoever of winning their fifth league title in six years. Both Messi and Alexis had put Barça ahead, but the visitors found a reply both times, scoring with their only two serious attempts on goal.

Villarreal vs FC Barcelona: Barça's comeback for Tito Vilanova (2-3)

April 28, 2014 01:55 PM

FC Barcelona, full of pride, fought back from a two-goal deficit to claim the three points in Sunday evening's game against Villarreal. Barça are still in content for the Spanish League title. The situation was critical in the Madrigal stadium. Emotionally shattered by the death of Tito Vilanova and the two goals for Villarreal pinned Barça back, but two own goals and a third from Messi proved enough to win the three points.

FC Barcelona vs Athletic Club: Barça are still in the Spanish League race! (2-1)

April 21, 2014 12:23 PM | Roger Bogunyà

FC Barcelona are alive in La Liga. The Catalans ended a three-match losing streak this Sunday thanks to a 2-1 win over Athletic Club, who had taken the lead through Aduriz in the 50 minute. Barça missed a number of clear chances to equalise before Pedro pounced on a scuffed shot from Alexis to score from close range in the 71. Just minutes later Messi scored a second from a free kick to seal the win and keep Barça in the hunt for the Spanish League title.

FC Barcelona vs Manchester City FC: Back on track! (2-1)

March 13, 2014 10:05 AM | Roger Bogunyà

Goals from Messi and Alves see off City and book Barça's place on the quarter finals.FC Barcelona laid down a marker for the rest of Europe on Wednesday evening, cruising through to the last eight of the Champions League with a 2-1 win over Manchester City (4-1 on aggregate) with a performance that put to bed the doubts around the team after their weekend league defeat in Valladolid. Javier Mascherano insisted before the game that Barça weren’t down and out and tonight the team proved him right with an important win over one of the strongest teams left in the competition.

Manchester City FC vs FC Barcelona: Barça come up big when it counts (0-2)

February 19, 2014 10:47 AM | Jordi Clos

Messi and Alves set up impressive Champions League first leg win on Wednesday evening against Manchester City. Barça took a massive step towards the competition’s quarter finals with a 0-2 win at the Etihad Stadium. A disputed penalty and red card for Demichelsis on 53 minutes put an end to what had up to then been a cagey affair, as City desperately pushed to get back into the game, only to fall two behind when Alves scored the second late on. Manchester City surprisingly came out rather timidly, ceding possession to Barça, who, playing with Iniesta wide left and Messi as a false number nine, flooded the midfield, whilst the hosts stuck men in a high defensive line. After 15 minutes though, City came out of their shell and began to threaten.

Real Sociedad vs FC Barcelona: Barça head to the Cup final! (1-1)

February 13, 2014 12:41 PM | Roger Bogunyà

A goal from Messi secures passage to the final of the Copa del Rey. Barça will face off against Real Madrid on April 19. The team managed by Gerardo Martino preserved their 2-0 advantage and they qualified without too much difficulty. When push comes to shove, this team responds: they are in the final after having won seven of their eight Cup matches this season and with Leo Messi, who scored the go-ahead goal in San Sebastián, as the highest goal scorer of the competition. In the final minutes of the match Griezmann netted the equaliser, but it was too little to late to trouble a Barça side that had completed one of the best first halves so far this season.

FC Barcelona vs Real Sociedad: Barça’s vindication (2-0)

February 6, 2014 01:45 PM | Roger Bogunyà

FC Barcelona are one step closer to the final of the Copa del Rey thanks to goals from Busquets and Zubikarai (og) in the first tie of the semi-finals. This Wednesday the Camp Nou experienced a match that had it all, from the stands to red cards to plays that bordered on the nonsensical, like Barça’s second goal of the night. Gerardo Martino sent in a nearly identical team to the one he fielded on the weekend, only Valdés – who was replaced by Pinto – wasn’t named to the starting line-up. Now FC Barcelona will have make good on their 2-0 advantage when they travel to Anoeta next Wednesday.

FC Barcelona vs Llevant: Round three

January 29, 2014 08:06 PM | Jordi Clos

Barça once again take on Llevant (also called Levante) after the 1-4 from the first leg of the Spanish Cup quarter-final tie. It will be the third showdown between to two sides in ten days. Throughout the competition Tata Martino has had a policy of rotating players into the starting team for Cup matches, and it doesn’t look like there will be an exception tonight. Iniesta, Puyol, Song and Montoya are back in the squad, while Xavi, Busquets and Alves didn’t make the team. If Barça make good on the result from the first leg, it will be the team’s seventh semi-final Cup berth in eight years (they were eliminated in the quarter-final round in 2010).