camp nou

Barça held informal talks with members of the pro-independence protest group through an intermediary

Spanish football federation doesn’t rule out moving the game to a neutral venue, says some local media

The group complains about the clubs not agreeing to make their message “visible from the stands and the field”

Pro-independence protest group urge activists with match tickets to communicate internally with organizers

Pro-independence protest group call on activists with match tickets to communicate internally with organizers

After a request that the match be moved to Madrid, the Spanish Football Federation has confirmed the postponement

The match is currently set to clash with a mass rally against the verdict of the Catalan Trial

Catalonia also saw success in MotoGP, kayaking and mountain running this weekend

Atletico Madrid dispute the money owed to them for the release clause in the player’s contract

Arturo Vidal and an own goal bring victory in the penultimate game of the Liga campaign

The Catalans have qualified for their eighth Champions League semi-final in the last 12 seasons

Andalusians spoil Leo Messi’s return to action with a shock victory in dramatic encounter at the Camp Nou

FC Barcelona rallied back from two goals down to defeat Eibar 4-2 on the final day of the league campaign, but it was not enough to claim the title. Luis Enrique's men men dug deep for their manager on what was his final league game and got the three points, though Real Madrid’s 2-0 win at Málaga ultimately sees the title go the way of the side from the Spanish capital. It was not the fairytale ending Luis Enrique would have wished for on his last league game but the players showed their commitment to the cause with a rallying display, and his tenure could still end with silverware after next Saturday’s Copa del Rey final.

Braces for Gomes, Messi and Alcácer, and a first ever Barça goal for Mascherano, earn the points up in style. FC Barcelona cruised to a 7-1 win over Osasuna at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night, with braces for André Gomes, Leo Messi and Paco Alcácer, plus a first ever Barça goal for Javier Mascherano from the spot. All the talk in the build-up to the game was about Messi who, after his brace at the Bernabéu, reached 500 goals for the club. An enormous flag with the message ‘Grácies Messi’ (Thank you Messi) was revealed before kick-off and it would not take long for Messi to repay the gratitude.

Barça battle the league's fourth-placed side at 7.30pm CET on Wednesday night at Camp Nou, where a victory will provisionally vault them over Real Madrid and into first place. The clash comes soon after Barça’s 4–1 victory at Granada on Sunday, meaning the Catalans have completed a grand total of two training sessions — a recovery session on Monday followed by a normal workout on Tuesday — in a race against the clock to prepare for a vital midweek test against a top-tier opponent that will almost certainly have major implications on the final standings when they are etched in stone in late May. Barça manager Luis Enrique Martínez was his unvarnished, candid self at Tuesday’s pre-game press conference, where he cast aside criticism of Los Blanquirrojos, in light of their recent stumbles, and heaped a pinch or two of flattery upon the Andalusian side. “I think we’re talking about an extraordinary season for them,” he said.