Lionel Messi is the face of Barcelona. He is the team's all-time highest goal scorer and he has been the reason for the club's success over the last few years. But could he possibly be on his way out? And is Barcelona's biggest Real Madrid ready to buy him up?
Barcelona managed a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao, but the victory offered minor respite to a team that is simply playing out a lost season. While Barcelona is in second place, the team has already played one more game than its immediate rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid and barring a shocking collapse by both clubs, the team is likely to lose out on the Spanish League title this season.
Barcelona and Real Madrid will play in a week's time in the Copa del Rey final but there are few unique storylines heading into the tie. Here is a look at some of those unique angles.
Barcelona hit a new low on Wednesday when it was eliminated by Atletico Madrid from the Champions League. It was the first time since 2007 that the club failed to reach the semifinals of the tournament.
It was April 2013. Barcelona was kicking off against Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena for the first leg of the Champions League semifinal and was fancied as the favorite to go through. The team had seemingly rebounded nicely from its Spanish league title loss to Real Madrid a year ago and was on pace to reclaim Spain's top prize. But then everything went south for Los Cules. In a matter of 90 minutes, Bayern Munich had given the world a lesson in how to take down Barcelona. The return home for the second leg was even more embarrassing as the team wound up losing 3-0 and ended up defeated 7-0 on aggregate. The aura of invincibility had been demolished completely and the beginning of the end of would begin. But what an end it would be.
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will face off in a crucial Champions League match on Tuesday. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid will face off in a crucial Champions League match on Tuesday.
Barcelona managed a huge 3-0 win over Celta Vigo and is in complete control of its destiny regarding the chance to win the Spanish league title. The team now trails Atletico Madrid by one point. The two sides will meet on the final day of the season and if both teams manage to win their remaining games leading up to that match, then that game will literally be a final that decides the title winner.
It was a truly classic Clasico after 45 minutes. With end to end action and tremendous pace, it seemed like one for the ages. But the second half fell way below the expectations set by the first half. The game turned ugly and dull to the point of boredom? Why? Because of one man - Alberto Undiano.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will undoubtedly be the central focus when Real Madrid and Barcelona face off in the Champions League on Sunday. However, every superhero needs his sidekick and each superstar has a wealth of those on their respective clubs. Who are the other major offensive leaders on Real Madrid and Barcelona?
And then there were eight. The final eight teams in the Champions League have been revealed and it has become increasingly clear that this tournament will be one of the most hotly contested in years. Which team is the favorite to win the tournament?
The biggest soccer event will take place this weekend when Real Madrid and Barcelona face off in arguably the most crucial game of the year for both sides. Barcelona is four points behind Madrid and would be seven behind if it lost; a draw would keep the team four points behind the lead and not help the side's hopes of retaining its crown. For Real Madrid, a win would not only take down its biggest rivals, but get rid of its most difficult game remaining on the Spanish League schedule.
On Sunday, Barcelona exploded with a 7-0 win over Osasuna that re-established the Catalan side as an offensive juggernaut. The team has languished offensively in the past few weeks thanks to a seemingly weak system that has become overly repetitive. However, Sunday's side looked like the well-oiled machine that many called the best team in the world a few years ago.
After drawing tremendous criticism for an embarrassing display this weekend against Real Valladolid, Gerardo Martino's Barcelona put up a solid performance against Manchester City in the second leg of the Champions League.
Bayern Munich will head to the quarterfinals of the Champions league after taking down Arsenal 3-1 over the course of three legs. Many have anointed this team the favorite to repeat as Champions and it is hard to ignore that possibility. Under Pep Guardiola, the team has found efficiency in its passing and use of speed that has somehow eclipsed even the loftiest form under Jupp Heynckes. But is the success sustainable this year? Or is there another team that can take down the mighty Bavarians.
The Champions League returns on Tuesday and Wednesday with the second leg of the round of 16. Four teams will finally find out if they will be destined for a quarterfinals berth while the remaining four will return home with the hopes of returning to the competition in 2014-15. Three of the matchups seem to be finalized while one still has some suspense.
Barcelona dropped a 1-0 decision against Villarreal on Saturday. When Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid won their respective matches this weekend, the defending Spanish Champions found themselves in third place and four points out of first place.
The Spanish League title race got very interesting this past weekend when Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both managed to drop all three points while Real Madrid pulled ahead with a huge win.
