The quarter finals of the Champions League will pit two of the best teams on the continent against each other on Tuesday
Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona, rivals in the quarter finals of the Champions League, have an excellent record in the European competition this season. The French side are among the teams that have won the most matches (6 of 8), while the Catalans have won 5
The goal he scored this Saturday against Celta makes him the first player to ever score against 19 consecutive teams in La Liga
Messi now has 42 goals in the competition, and he's the clear favourite for the Pichichi award
No one can stop him. This Saturday against Celta the FC Barcelona forward set another record as he became the first player to ever score against all 19 top flight teams consecutively
First team coach has landed on Tuesday morning, at about 8:05 at El Prat airport in Barcelona, after two months in New York when dealing with his illness
Jordi Roura and Aureli Altimira, who joined him on the flight home, will be taking this afternoon’s training session at the Ciutat Esportiva
Xavi Hernández has won more trophies with FC Barcelona (20) than any other player in the history of the Club and is on the verge of equalling Paco Gento’s all-time Spanish record.
The three titles won by the international midfielder with Spain, added to the twenty accumulated with Barça, mean that Xavi is just one short of matching Real Madrid legend Paco Gento’s longstanding national record of 24 trophies.
Leo Messi, who is Argentina's fourth highest goalscorer with 31 goals, could surpass Diego Maradona's 34 goals this week as his country takes on Venezuela and Bolivia in the World Cup qualifiers
Leo Messi still has a lot of challenges ahead of him
The Asturian forward, in an interview with El País, opens up about his return to form, the recovery from his long-term injury and his relationship with Messi
David Villa sat down with El País ahead of Spain’s Wold Cup qualifier against Finland in Gijón, the city which saw the Asturian
FC Barcelona will hold a draw this Friday to determine which members will get tickets to the Champions League quarter-final match at the Parc des Princes
FC Barcelona members have requested a total of 6,610 tickets for the away leg of the Champions League quarter-final between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona (
The Dutchman scored one of the most important goals in FC Barcelona history when his free kick sealed the European Cup title for the Blaugrana against Sampdoria in 1992
It was the 111th minute in the first half of overtime in Wembley Stadium whenRonald Koeman unleashed one of his trademark free kicks to give the Blaugrana a one-goal lead over Sampdoria. His goal, perhaps one of the most emblematic of Barça’s storied history, sealed the first ever European Cup title for FC Barcelona.
The Dutchman, who joined Barça in 1989 and scored a total of 102 goals from 345 appearances, turned 50 years old today. He shared the dressing room with other Barça greats like HristoStoichkov, José Mari Bakero, Tixki Begiristain, Michael Laudrup, Josep Guardiola, and Andoni Zubizarreta, among others. In addition to the European Cup, he also won four Liga titles, one Copa del Rey, one Spanish Super Cup, and one European Super Cup with FC Barcelona.
The International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) named FC Barcelona the best team of 2012
Messi and Iniesta, were named World's Best Goalscorer and the World's Best Playmaker, respectively
C Barcelona was designated by the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS) as the World's Best Football Club in 2012. This is Barça’s fourth award in the category, its third in four years. In addition, Andrés Iniesta andLionel Messi
The Argentinian could become only the second player ever to score against every other team in the competition if he finds the net in Barça’s next game against Celta
He would also become the first player to score in 19 consecutive matches, in other words against every team in the league
For the third time this year, Barça have recorded three straight wins with their victory over Rayo
For the second time in 2013, the team have won three straight games – beating Deportivo, AC Milan and Rayo, following on from the three wins against Espanyol, Cordoba, and Malaga earlier in the year.
Nine Barça players are with the Spain squad to face Finland and France in 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
Argentina, with Messi and Mascherano, play two important qualifying games, whilst Song and Alexis are also on World Cup duty.
The Barça squad will again be decimated by international commitments over the next ten days or so, with 18 players away with their national sides for World Cup qualifiers and friendlies. Spain boss Vicente del Bosque
Barça hosts the team from the Madrid suburbs following the comeback against AC Milan and ahead of the international break.
Barça welcomes Rayo to the Camp Nou for a league match that runs the risk of being an anticlimax after the high drama of the CL quarterfinal second leg. There’s a danger of relaxation – and tiredness – following Tuesday evening’s incredible comeback against AC Milan. The match is even more important than usual as the three points would allow the team to enjoy the international break from the league schedule in relative calm. Right now Barça sits comfortably in first place in the league table with a X points lead over Real Madrid, who have played a match more.
Paco Jémez and his men know that getting a good result at the Camp Nou is no easy task, but the Madrid-based team are currently just points away from breaking into the top 6 positions of the table. With only 11 matches left in La Liga, tomorrow's three points might prove vital for Rayo's hopes of playing in the Europa League next season
Barça have been drawn to play PSG in the last eight of the Champions League
Barça have been drawn to play Paris Saint Germain in the last eight of the Champions League. The first leg will be played in Paris with the return game in Barcelona. Match dates to follow.
After a day off, the team returned to training as they prepare for Sunday’s league game with Rayo. Bartra, now fully fit, was there too
Xavi worked out separately as he recovers from a hamstring injury
The first team returned to training on Friday morning at the Ciutat Esportiva, starting one hour early so that they can catch the Champions league draw at noon. The big news was the return of Marc Bartra, who was declared fully fit on Thursday and is available for selection by Jordi Roura for Sunday’s Liga fixture at the Camp Nou against Rayo Vallecano (21.00). Meanwhile, Xavi Hernández, who will miss that game with a hamstring injury, did recovery work in isolation. The players will train again on Saturday morning at 11.00, behind closed doors at the Ciutat Esportiva.
New look Alves
There were also plenty comments today about Dani Alves, who was displaying the new look that he revealed on social networks on Thursday. The Brazilian looks very different with his hair dyed blond! The Player posted a photo with his new look on Instagram.
The operation was carried out by Doctors Ramon Cugat and Ricard Pruna, with the support of Egarsat
Carles Puyol underwent an arthroscopy on Thursday evening in order to clean up his right knee. The operation was carried out by Doctors Ramon Cugat and Ricard Pruna, with the support of Egarsat. Puyol’s return will be determined by the progress of his recovery.
Deportivo, a team in dire need of points, visit the Camp Nou on Saturday
Top scorer, Riki, will miss the match due to injury, but Pizzi, who has already scored twice against FC Barcelona this season, will feature for the visiting team
The midfielder , who is still recovering from a hamstring injury, trained with the rest of the squad today
Barça B keeper Jordi Masip also took part in this morning’s training – the penultimate session before the Deportivo game
Xavi Hernández was back in training at the Ciutat Esportiva this morning, although he is still recovering from his hamstring injury. Barça B keeper Jordi Masip also took part in the session, with Víctor Valdés suspended and unable to play against Deportivo on Saturday evening.
Marc Bartra, who has a strained knee ligament, worked with the physios as part of his recovery schedule. Barça will have a final training session behind closed doors tomorrow at 11.00 at the Camp Nou. Masip is also called up for that session and looks likely to be called up for the Deportivo game, when he will where the number 32 shirt.
The Fundación FC Barcelona invited Mamadou Lamine, a nine year old boy who was born blind, to a training session at the Club so he could live his dream of meeting the players.
Messi played his first game with the boys’ team on 7th March 2001, one day after obtaining his playing license
Leo wore the number 9 shirt and scored a goal against Amposta
It wasMarch 7th, but in 2001, when the Barça history of Leo Messi began. Messi played his first game for Barça 12 years ago today. The Argentine, who got his license from the Catalan Football Federation on March 6th, played his first game with the boys’ teammanaged by Xavi Llorens just a day later.
Leo, who wore the number 9 shirt, contributed with a goal to Barça’s victory against Amposta.
The Catalan midfielder insisted, "We have to give 100% against Deportivo if we want to set ourselves up for Tuesday against Milan"
Fabregas believes that “we have plenty of options of going through to the quarterfinals if we play at our best level”
The best way to prepare for the return leg of the Champions League tie against AC Milan is to produce a good performance against Depor this Saturday in the Camp Nou and secure the three points that will bring the league title a little bit closer. According to Cesc Fabregas, “We have to give 100% against Deportivo if we want to set ourselves up for Tuesday against Milan”. But he’s also looking forward to “the most important match of the season” because “when there are important matches, the players and the fans get stronger”.
One of the keys to overturning the adverse result of the first leg is to know how to keep a cool head from the kick-off and not be in too much of a hurry. “If we don’t play with our heads it will go badly for us because getting over-excited isn’t good. We have to be clever and we can’t just play with our hearts, but with our heads as well. This generation (of players) is due a historic comeback”.
At his best level
On a personal note, Fabregas assured reporters today that he’s in good shape. “I’m feeling fitter than ever and when I’m needed I’m always there. I’m as strong as ever and I’m training as hard as anybody. Nobody can take away from me the desire I have to achieve something big at this club. If for the good of the team I don’t have to play I’ll accept it. The Camp Nou fans are demanding and have always been behind us on the big occasions”.
Ready to win
"The players are more than capable of playing in big games. Nobody doubts we can do it again, that we can turn it around. But it depends on us. On big occasions, these players have always been there. If we win and play well it could be an incredible leap of quality and motivation. You can’t doubt the quality of these players because of three matches”.
But how is the team at the moment. Fabregas tells us. “The team is fine. We suffered after the match against Milan. Our confidence went down and we felt that against Madrid in the Cup and the league”. Finally, he reminded everyone of “the comeback against Atlético Madrid with Pizzi and against Chelsea" as proof that on Tuesday it will be possible to turn around the tie against AC Milan.
7,000 to 10,000 Club members and corporate clients and businesses will be surveyed in the coming weeks to determine and evaluate possible improvements to the Camp Nou and the Palau Blaugrana
The FC Barcelona left back is optimistic ahead of the Champions League match against AC Milan
Alba says the "players are calm, and they are eager to get a good result"
The shows of confidence from FC Barcelona’s first team players ahead of the decisive Champions League round of 16 return leg against AC Milan keep on popping up, and the message – regardless of who is delivering it – is identical. This Tuesday it was Jordi Alba who said: “I’m very sure we’ll go through to the next round.”
The left back added to the statements made by Xavi, Iniesta and Mascherano that the Barça players are very eager to get a good result against the Italians. “It’s true that we’re not doing well,” said Alba, “but we are calm, and we’re very eager to play the match and win it by playing good football, just like we’re accustomed to doing.”
The Catalan then went on to say that “it’s a difficult tie ... we want to defeat Deportivo first so we can then focus on Milan.”
MIC Tournament
Alba made these statements during the presentation ceremony of the MIC Tournament. Alba left his mark on the competition when he played for FC Barcelona’s Alevín A (U12) team, he was named the best player of the tournament.
Sergio Busquets was named best player of 2012, while Sergi Roberto, Jordi Torras and Marc Carmona also picked up awards
The Gala was attended by vice-president Josep Maria Bartomeu, the directors Jordi Mestre and Javier Bordas, and Xavi Hernández and Leo Messi
This Monday evening the Old Estrella Damm Factory hosted the second edition of the Gala of the Stars of Catalan Football, where the best players, managers and referees of football and
The president, who believes that the manager's health is "priority," considers the season would be a success if the manager fully recovers from his illness
“For me Roura is a hero, he's taken responsibilities that didn't correspond to him,” says Mr Rosell
Mr Rosell says that if Barça defeat Milan, Tito could be on the bench for the
The defeat on Saturday at the Bernabeu was only the second of the season for FC Barcelona in La Liga. Here we look back at some of the stats of El Clásico
Messi, surrounded by Real Madrid players / FOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ - FCB- Leo Messi has now scored 18 g
The first team football squad will have to refocus this week on the league clash with Deportivo and on preparations for the return leg of their Champions League tie with AC Milan.
The left back says that a "draw would have been the fairest result" against Real Madrid
On FC Barcelona's upcoming matches, the Catalan notes: "We have to give it our all and even more so when we play against Milan. We have confidence in ourselves" After this afternoon’s match, FC Barcelona hold a 13-point advantage over Real Madrid in the league. Alba, who spoke to the press after the match, said: “we’re leaving without any points but we know we have a good advantage over Atlético and Real Madrid.” In addition, he said, “it was a fairly equal match and a draw would have been the fairest result.” After two bad results against Madrid, the full back said, “we have to give it our all and even more so against Milan. We have confidence in ourselves.”
A goal from Ramos with eight minutes left saw Real Madrid take a rather grey Clasico after Messi had equalised Benzema’s opener in the first half Valdés was sent off after the final whistle after remonstrating with the ref who denied Barça an apparently clear late penalty when Adriano was brought down in the box Barça suffered their second league defeat of the season in what was an atypical Clasico – with a four o’clock kick off, a sixteen point difference between the two teams and Barça indisputable leaders at the top of the league despite Tuesday’s Cup KO. Roura’s side weren’t at their very best, but finally lost in an especially cruel way – denied what looked to be a clear penalty in the final moments of the game after Real Madrid had scored at the start and the end of the game.
Madrid get early goal
Madrid played a near full strength defence, but included a number of fringe players in midfield as Mourinho chose to rest some of his big names, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, ahead of the Champions League game in Manchester on Tuesday, whilst Barça sent out their strongest possible starting 11.
Despite that, it was the hosts who started the brighter and Benzema opened the scoring after just 6 minutes, latching onto a great cross from the left by Morata to tap in at the far post. It was the perfect start for Madrid, who now sat back and absorbed the Barça possession.
Messi equaliser opens door to Barça dominance As Barça strove to impose their rhythm and trademark style on the goal, Alves played a lovely through ball down the right for Messi, who cut inside Sergio Ramos and fired low past the keeper for the equaliser. The goal seemed to settle Barça’s nerves and they were looking increasingly comfortable on the ball, with Madrid forced to watch and wait as Messi and Iniesta at one point just passed the ball to each other in the middle of the park, with no Madrid player coming out to contest the ball. The possession was Barça’s now, but it was mostly in midfield and chances were hard to come by, with Messi seeing a shot blocked by Diego Lopez on the half hour and Morata headed into the side netting a few minutes later.
Ramos goal and big penalty shout
Barça upped the intensity a notch after the break and Madrid replied by bringing on Cristiano Ronaldo just before the hour mark. The game began to get a bit feisty now, with the referee flourishing a number of yellow cards. Shrugging off Barça’s dominance of possession, Madrid’s confidence was growing with Cristiano’s entrance onto the pitch and he was soon testing Valdes with a dangerous free kick on 64 minutes, which the Barça keeper saved spectacularly.
Valdés was again the hero ten minutes later when he pushed aside a Morata effort when the Madrid youngster was one on one on the keeper, but he was unable to do anything on 82 minutes, when Sergio Ramos rose high to head home a corner and it could have been worse minutes later when Cristiano fired a free kick against the woodwork. With Alexis, Adriano and Tello now on, Barça pushed hard for an equaliser and were unlucky to be denied an apparently clear penalty when Adriano was brought down in the box – a decision that saw Iniesta shown a yellow and Valdes a red for dissent after the final whistle had been blown.
