barça

Barça hold a 2–1 aggregate advantage as they look to deliver a knockout punch at home for the fourth straight round and continue down the path to a rare Copa del Rey three-peat. In this season's Copa, which Camp Nou has been the scene of an impressive trio of second leg victories — in the last 32, in the last 16, and in the quarter-finals. And on Tuesday night, at 9.00pm CET the Catalans, now in the semis, hope to vanquish visiting Atlético Madrid as well, and continue their chase for a third straight title. Neymar Jr misses the game through suspension, while Rafinha is out with a fractured nose sustained at the weekend but Sergio Busquets, Andrés Iniesta and Lucas Digne are back to full fitness and get the nod. 

Whether the result means that Barça have gained one point or dropped two is a matter of opinion after a dramatic lunchtime encounter on Sunday ended 1-1. Betis have yet to lose at home under Victor Sánchez and today we got to see why, but right at the final gasp Luis Suárez made sure the Catalans at least got something out of this game. However, the role of goal-line technology in football will be a much-discussed topic in the bars of Barcelona for the rest the day. And probably most of the week. Certainly once, and maybe twice, the Barça equaliser could have come much earlier had hawk-eye have been allowed to watch.

Goals from Suárez, Neymar and Messi secure an action-packed victory that keeps alive the quest for a third consecutive Copa del Rey trophy. Manager was delighted with his team's performance in winning a place in Friday's Copa del Rey quarter final draw - and can't help singling out Leo Messi for special praise. "From what we could see from the two legs, our qualification was the fairest outcome”, said Luis Enrique. "Leo Messi was as decisive as ever. I hope he stays here for many more years”, he added. After two setbacks, the first victory of 2017 is in the bag and Barça will be one of the eight names featuring in Friday’s draw.

FC Barcelona and Athletic Club are set to do battle once again in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, with the Catalans seeking to overturn the 2-1 deficit from the first leg to make the quarter finals. Another heated encounter took place last week between the pair, and the second leg is expected to provide the same intensity with the two most successful clubs in the competition going head-to-head. Jasper Cillessen is back in the squad after recovering from a calf injury that he suffered on 30 December. In what is a must-win game for Barça, Luis Enrique will be delighted that he has all first team players at his disposal for the encounter. “I expect a high voltage match in which we are awaiting a very strong starting Barcelona side because they will be keen to make up for the last two games”, said Barça’s coach.

The dispute between Barça and UEFA over the display of Catalan independence flags, ‘estelades’, at the Camp Nou is definitely on track to reach a solution. The international body announced an agreement with FC Barcelona to end this litigation. The pact means that Barça will drop its appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) over the economic sanctions imposed on the club, while UEFA compromises to establish a working group “involving both clubs and national associations to review the disciplinary framework” that nowadays prevents the display of political symbols in stadiums. The conflict began in the Champions League final in Berlin last year when a Ukrainian UEFA delegate, Anna Bordiugova, who was not in the Olympic Stadium, denounced the exhibition of 'estelades' after watching the game on television.

El Clásico at the Camp Nou - kick off 4.15pm on Saturday! Luis Enrique’s team were held to a 1-1 draw last weekend at Real Sociedad, a result that leaves them six points behind leaders Real Madrid. Zinedine Zidane’s side recorded a sixth straight victory in the league on Saturday of last week with a 2-1 home win over Sporting Gijón. All in all, it could be an important moment in the battle for the league title; a victory for Barça would see them just three points behind the leaders, a win for Madrid would stretch their lead over the blaugranes to nine points.

FC Barcelona left Anoeta with a 1-1 draw thanks to Leo Messi’s second-half leveller on Sunday night and, although Luis Enrique's men were unable to get a first win since 2007 at Real Sociedad, the result ends a run of four straight league losses in San Sebastian. It was another enthralling, fast-paced encounter between the two sides at a ground which so often causes problems for the Catalans, with drama at either end right until the very last minutes. Luis Enrique was keen on continuing the momentum from the midweek 2-0 win over Celtic by naming an unchanged lineup for the first time in six months. However, it looked like it was going to be a case of history repeated in the Basque country, as Sociedad burst out of the traps and laid siege to the Barça goal.

Two goals from Leo Messi see off a brave challenge from the Scots and coupled with Man City’s draw in Germany the Catalans clinch a seeded berth in the round of sixteen FC Barcelona have won 2-0 at Celtic Park. And not only does that send them through to the knockout stages of the Champions league for the thirteenth  time in a row, but Manchester City’s 1-1 draw in Monchengladbach means that they’re already guaranteed one of the eight seeded berths. All that with one game to spare, so we won’t be finding out who Barça will be meeting next until the draw on December 12. Moreover, Messi reached yet another landmark, after scoring his 100^th goal in the international competition: 92 have come in 110 Champions league games, three in four European Super Cup matches and five in five in the Club World Cup.

The Catalans head north to chilly Glasgow for Wednesday night's Champions League Matchday 5 fixture and the chance to clinch the top spot in Group C (8.45pm CET). Although a bevy of scenarios abound, the Catalans are comfortably in the driver’s seat, and a triumph will usher them into the next round, regardless of what materializes in the group’s other fixture, which pits Borussia Mönchengladbach against visiting Manchester City. If City fall, however, a Barça win will bag them the top spot in Group C, thereby steering them clear of all other group winners in the round of 16, the first knockout stage of this tournament of tournaments. The Barça boss has taken his 19 available first team player plus Marlon from the B squad to Scotland.

FC Barcelona became the first team to leave the Sánchez Pizjuán with points as goals courtesy of Leo Messi and Luis Suárez after Vitolo’s opener gave the Catalans a precious win. The blaugranes came from behind to earn a 2-1 win at Sevilla on Sunday in a breathless encounter at the ever-intense Sánchez Pizjuán stadium. The Andalusians had won all five of their home league games going into the encounter but Leo Messi’s equaliser just before the break followed by Luis Suárez’s strike on the hour-mark sealed an important victory for the Catalans. “It is a win that strengthens us all as a team and individually”, said Barça’s coach, Luis Enrique. “The Pizjuán is a tough ground, with great pressure from the opponent, but as we showed, we managed the came perfectly”, he added.

Manchester City staged an exhilarating comeback and beat FC Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday at Etihad Stadium (3-1). Pep Guardiola’s team stole the game and the three points to Barça, who had the opportunity to sentence the first half, but started to feel the pressure six minutes before the interval, after an error by Sergi Roberto, leading to a goal and the resurrection of Manchester players. Ilkay Gundogan was undoubtley Manchester City star, scoring twice. The blaugrana, who were chasing a fourth consecutive win on English soil, did not achieve their objective. The home side desperation to get the three points beat Barça’s desire and marked a sense of urgency in their football.

A sweet victory for Luis Enrique on Wednesday night, soundly defeating his friend and former teammate, Pep Guardiola, 4–0, in the third Group C game for FC Barcelona and Manchester City. Lionel Messi, of course, was the star of the show, scoring thrice to leave not just his former manager on the losing end but his leaving his current manager almost lost for words. “He was decisive,” Luis Enrique said after the game. “He was involved in all the game’s key moments.” Guardiola was handily defeated at Camp Nou for the second time in two matches since leaving his lifelong club five seasons ago.  Besides Messi’s seventh career Champions League hat-trick, Neymar Jr added a late goal.

Camp Nou welcomes back Pep Guardiola on Matchday 3 of the Champions League for what promises to be an exhilarating game. “There are games against opponents in which possession is not that important. It will be against Manchester City, but that does not mean that who has more possession will win”, said Barça’s coach, Luís Enrique, on Tuesday. Most manager’s fear facing Leo Messi, but Guardiola spoke of his joy to see former star back: “It’s always a pleasure to see him play and I am happy he is fit again,” before adding that, in his opinion, Barça are “the best team in the world”. Barça are looking for their third straight win of the campaign to consolidate their place at the top of the group while Manchester City will be craving a good result after drawing away to bottom side Celtic last time out.

Gerard Piqué, one of FC Barcelona’s most iconic players, will quit Spain’s national team in 2018. The defender stunned reporters after the Spain vs Albania match on Sunday by declaring that he was“tired”of some supporters criticism who “don’t want”him in the squad. The relationship between Spain’s national team and Pique has repeatedly ruffled feathers, not only due to Pique’s commitment to Barça and some jibes aimed at Real Madrid, but also for his clear support for Catalonia’s independence. Piqué’s decision to cut the sleeves from his shirt, which bore the Spanish colours of yellow and red, for the Spain vs Albania match outraged some Spanish fans who linked it to his lack of commitment to the national team. “The thing with the sleeves is the straw that has broken the camel's back”he said and lamented that he “tried everything”but couldn’t “take it anymore”. Pique has made 86 appearances for Spain and won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and Euro 2012. He was also part of Spain's disappointing campaigns at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016.

Barça turned up at Balaídos needing no reminding of the threat that Celta’s speedy attack could pose, having suffered a 4-1 defeat last time they were in town, but few could have expected what took place in the first half this time around. Despite a good start, warning signs of Celta’s growing attacking threat began to appear as the half grew on. And when Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s pass out to Sergio Busquets was a touch wide of the midfield man, Iago Aspas was more than happy to step in and play Pione Sisto through on goal, who made no mistake with a neat finish. A spirited second half display saw FC Barcelona so nearly stage an epic comeback against Celta Vigo, but it turned out to be another unhappy visit to Balaídos in a seven-goal thriller. Three rapid first-half goals from the hosts caught Barça off guard and, while Luis Enrique’s men twice rallied back to reduce the deficit to a solitary goal, they ultimately left empty-handed.