Barcelona to remain ‘open-minded’ about Atlético

Possible lineupsBarcelona: Ter Stegen; Alves, Piqué, Mascherano, Alba; Busquets; Rakitić, Iniesta; Messi, Suárez, Neymar.Out: Sandro (hamstring), Adriano (hamstring), Mathieu (knee)Doubtful: noneMisses next match if booked: noneAtlético: Oblak; Juanfran, Savić, Godín, Filipe Luís; Gabi, Saúl, Augusto, Koke; Griezmann, Torres.Out: Tiago (broken leg)Doubtful: Giménez (hamstring), Óliver Torres (groin), Gámez (bruised leg)Misses next match if booked: Óliver Torres

True grit: How Real Madrid beat Barcelona

Defence the best form of attackZinédine Zidane became the first Real Madrid coach since Bernd Schuster to win his debut Clásico in charge and it was evident that the Frenchman learned lessons from the side's 4-0 home hammering in the reverse fixture. He set the side up in a compact way to not allow Barcelona's front three – Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez – any space whatsoever and deployed the outstanding Casemiro as a shield in front of the back four.Gareth Bale and winning scorer Cristiano Ronaldo could also be seen frequently tracking back to deny Barça's marauding full-backs space to exploit in what was a disciplined display. Despite enjoying...

Bayern, Barcelona and Atlético win big

SATURDAYAtlético 3-0 Deportivo (Saúl Ñíguez 18, Griezmann 60, Correa 83)Diego Simeone's side remain anchored in second place in Spain. Saúl Ñíguez headed their opener and Antoine Griezmann struck for the fourth match in succession before captain Gabi set up the third for Ángel Correa.Barcelona 6-0 Getafe (Juan Rodríguez 8og, El Haddadi 19, Neymar 32 51, Messi 40, Arda Turan 57)With his side 1-0 up, Lionel Messi missed an 11th-minute penalty, but Munir El Haddadi resumed the scoring before a Neymar double, trademark Messi strike and a 57th-minute Arda Turan goal completed the rout.Bayern

How Gerard Piqué maintains Barcelona hunger

At 29, central defender Gerard Piqué has already won the biggest prizes in club football with Barcelona, but as UEFA.com discovers, the lifelong Blaugrana fan has lost none of his passion for the club and the game.UEFA.com: What motivates you to keep pushing yourself day in, day out?Gerard Piqué: Well, that's difficult. Don't think it's easy. There are a lot of games, and you're at a club where you should always win, and you have to find the desire and motivation to win every game, whether you're playing a smaller team or you're going to [Arsenal]. So that takes a lot – but it's our job. And as the season progresses, it gets easier, bec...

Anderlecht v Barcelona preview

Story so farAnderlechtThe Belgian side came through the Domestic Champions path, beating Brann and Servette before an impressive 2-0 victory over Arsenal. The side coached by former forward Nicolás Frutos then lost at home to Dinamo Zagreb but were subsequently awarded a 3-0 win and reinstated as the visitors had fielded an ineligible player.

Barcelona stay on course, Benfica go top

SUNDAYEibar 0-4 Barcelona (El Haddadi 8, Messi 41 76pen, Suárez 84)Barcelona extended their Spanish record of games unbeaten in all competitions to 36 as Luis Enrique's men stayed eight points clear of second-placed Atlético. Lionel Messi scored twice to take his tally to 15 in his last ten matches, while Luis Suárez ended a three-game barren run in front of goal. Barça's trident of Messi, Suárez and Neymar have now notched 100 strikes this season.Atalanta 0-2 Juventus (Barzagli 24, Lemina 86)The Bianconeri restored their three-point lead at the summit and extended their unbeaten run in Serie A to 18 games in ...

Barcelona make unbeaten record their own

Barcelona made it a Spanish record 35 games unbeaten in all competitions as they defeated nine-man Rayo Vallecano 5-1 on Thursday, going eight points clear at the top of the Liga in the process.Last weekend Luis Enrique's side matched the undefeated run of Leo Beenhakker's 1989 Real Madrid team and tonight in the Spanish capital they set a new mark of their own. Lionel Messi scored his 30th Barcelona hat-trick – taking his Liga tally for the season to 19 – while Luis Suárez had a penalty saved and Arda Turan opened his Blaugrana account.Barcelona's cause was made easier by the 42nd-minute dismissal of Diego Llorente, by which point they were leading 2-0, for a high chal...