Recovery session at the Ciutat Esportiva | FC Barcelona
The players of FC Barcelona were back in training on Wednesday morning. The session included all the players that made the trip to Amsterdam plus Carles Planas from Barça B. As usual, last night’s players followed a recovery programme. However, Xavi Hernández exercised in the gym.
Messi to travel to Argentina on Friday for second phase of recovery | FC Barcelona
The first stage of his recovery now complete, Leo Messi will be flying to Argentina on Friday, as scheduled, for the second phase of the process under supervision of the Club Medical Services. Dr Ricard Pruna and physio Elvio Paulorroso will be travelling to Argentina in mid-December to oversee the final stages of his recuperation.
Barça fall one match short of equalling best start to season | FC Barcelona
Martino’s Barça leave their unbeaten record at 20 matches. Pinto conceded his first goal in the Champions league. Pedro made his 50th appearance in the Champions League. He has scored 14 goals in the competition.
Cruyff: Barca haven't changed their style - Goal.com
"Barca must wonder why things that worked well before are not doing so now," he told reporters. "The discussion over their playing style? This is a long debate and here they have not changed anything, but I will not go into that because these are conversations for the bar."
Barcelona defender Marc Bartra close to new deal but Martin Montoya may leave - ESPN FC
"The issue of my contract is going really well," the defender told Al Jazeera Sport. "Everything will come out fine. My agent is talking about things with the club. I focus on playing well and training day to day, which is the most important." However, negotiations with Montoya look to be going less well.
South Africa-Spain to stand | Football Espana
FIFA have confirmed that South Africa’s 1-0 win over Spain will stand, despite La Roja fielding more than the permitted number of substitutes. The friendly international in Johannesburg was rumoured as set to be downgraded to a practice match, after officials allowed Spain to make a seventh substitution after Victor Valdes had been injured.
El 9: Steve Archibald, the Scotsman's ear | FC Barcelona
Steve Archibald is another of the guests on ‘El 9’, on Barça TV. We look back at his years with Barça from 1984 to 1987. Manager Terry Venables preferred the former Spurs man as his centre forward ahead of Hugo Sánchez and the Scotsman played a central role in winning the Liga title in 1984/85.
Ajax - Juvenil A, win seals top spot (0-4) | FC Barcelona
Goals from Moha, Enguene, Munir and Rolón helped Barça’s Youth A side clinch top spot with a game to spare in Group H of the UEFA Youth League with a 0-4 win in Amsterdam on Wednesday. After seeing off Celtic (1-2) and Milan (2-6) on their last two trips, tonight’s win was Vinyals’ third on the road in the group stage.
Gareth Bale starred as Real Madrid beat Galatasaray 4-1 | Sky Sports Football
Sergio Ramos was dismissed after 26 minutes but Bale gave Madrid the lead 10 minutes later with a curled dead ball effort from 35 yards out. Umut Bulut responded with an equaliser immediately but Roberto Mancini's side crumbled after the break despite having the extra man. Alvaro Arbeloa, Angel di Maria and Isco all got on the scoresheet to condemn the Italian coach to the heaviest defeat of his relatively short spell in charge of the Turkish champions.
Transfer news: Guillem Balague says Iker Casillas edging towards Real Madrid exit | Sky Sports
"It will be up to him what he does next, obviously. But if he continues to not play, and he won't unless Diego Lopez gets injured, then he wants to leave Real Madrid at the end of the season. "He's had enough and he's imagining the possibility of playing abroad. Although he loves the Premier League, maybe it doesn't suit his game as much as the Italian league or the German league.
Douglas Costa double gives Shakhtar 4-0 win over Sociedad | Sky Sports Football
Luiz Adriano and Alex Teixeira also scored for the Ukrainian side to claim a victory, which combined with Manchester United's 5-0 defeat of Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, moved Shakhtar up into second place in Group A. The defeat for Sociedad means they are destined to finish fourth in the group, thereby ending their European campaign this season. Shakhtar's fate remains in their own hands.
Learning the secrets of Atletico Madrid’s success | Pitchside - Yahoo Eurosport UK
Diego Costa, David Villa, Koke, Gabi and Thibaut Courtois are the players making the headlines. Atletico’s recruitment policy is exceptional. Was there a better bargain than Villa for €2 million (£1.7m) (plus a few add ons if things work out) in the close season? And that after selling Falcao for €60m.
Real Betis defender Paulao wants fans punished - ESPN FC
"It is good that this case has a big impact, so that measures are taken," Paulao said. "We are all the same as each other. The colour of the skin does not change anything. The authorities should do what they have to do. I do not want to push too far as I am just one more foreigner in Spain. I believe that would not help too much. The images are there for everyone to see."
Sevilla midfielder Hedwiges Maduro considers move to England | Sky Sports
Mauduro has found himself frozen out of things at Sevilla and was omitted from their 25-man La Liga squad for this season. The 28-year-old is now keen to move on in a bid to get his career back on track and has admitted he would consider a move to England, Germany, and his native Netherlands.
Rayo in for Atletico double loan - Yahoo Eurosport UK
Baptistao only moved from Rayo to Atleti in the summer, after an impressive 2012-13 at Vallecas, but has struggled through injury and competition for places to feature regularly so far under Diego Simeone. Meanwhile, Uruguayan international Gimenez has also been on the periphery for the season, managing just the one appearance in La Liga this term, back in September.