By Chris Wright

After just pipping the first leg 1-0, Pep Guardiola covered his arse by naming an incredibly strong side in the return leg against Hospitalet at the Camp Nou last night and it payed off, with Barcelona crushing the third-tier outfit thanks to goals from Pedro, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and braces from three players aged just 20: Isaac Cuenca, Thiago Alcantara and substitute Cristian Tello.

Gara senza storia al Camp Nou nell'anticipo della 17/a giornata di Liga, tra Barcellona e Rayo Vallecano. L'undici di Guardiola, impegnato (dall'8 al 18 dicembre) nel Mondiale per Club in Giappone, ha avuto la meglio per 4-0 sulla compagine madrilena. Grande protagonista l'ex Udinese, il cileno Alexis Sanchez, finalmente decisivo dopo alcune difficolt a causaContinua a leggere .

Barcelona's Gerard Pique will be eligible to face Real Madrid next week after escaping further punishment for the caution he received against Rayo Vallecano.

Pique was booked for time-wasting in the 83rd minute of Barca's 4-0 win on Tuesday, his fifth caution of the season with the one-match ban ruling him out of this weekend's meeting with Levante.

FC Barcelona closed down the lead between them and Real Madrid to six points with a comfortable 5-0 victory against fourth placed Levante. Cesc Fabregas opened the scoring, then doubled it followed by Cuenca, Messi and Sanchez goals gave Barca a comfortable victory at Camp NOu. Now all the focus will shift to next week's Clasico action at Bernebeu.

FC Barcelona continued to stay within striking distance of leaders Real Madrid in the Spanish La Liga on Saturday with a 5-0 win over Levante at the Camp Nou. The Spanish giants will meet for the first time in the league this season on December 10th at Real Madrid's Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Midfielder Cesc Fabregas [.

So the January transfer madness is almost upon us and tonight we are told by a Spanish paper that Arsenal have contacted AC Milan and offered 30M Euros for the incredibly decent Alexandre Pato if this happened, it would easily be the greatest transfer in the Wenger era.

The duck, as Pato is affectionately known as in Brazil, is one hell of a talented striker and just the kind of speedy, clinical type we have needed at the club since Henry left.

Former Barcelona coach Cesar Menotti believes that Real Madrid are afraid of Barca ever since they were beaten 5-0 in La Liga last season.

The Blaugrana hammered the Santiago Bernabeu side in November 2010, and Menotti feels that Madrid have never really recovered since that heavy loss at Camp Nou, despite having met several more times after that game.

Fabregas with brace against Levante (Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)

Barcelona continued their imperious form at the Camp Nou this season, hitting Levante for five goals in the latest manita under Pep Guardiola.

After suffering a shock defeat to Getafe last weekend, the champions responded the only way they know how, with goals.

MONACO AUGUST 26: Adidas balls on show alongside the three main European club trophies, the Champions League, Europa League and Super Cup during the UEFA Champions League Group Stage draw at the Grimaldi Forum on August 26, 2010 in Monaco, Monaco. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Continúa la acción del torneo más importante de clubes del mundo: La UEFA Champions League 2011/12 que reúne a las mejores escuadras del continente europeo, he aqui los resultados:

Martes 6 de diciembre Grupo E

Stamford Bridge Londres

Chelsea (ING) 3 0 Valencia (ESP)

Goles: 1-0, 3′ Didier Drogba (C); 2-0, 21′ Ramires (C); 3-0, 75′ Didier Drogba (C).

Goals by Sergi Roberto, Montoya and a double by Pedro saw a youthful Barcelona side crush BATE Borisov 4-0 at the Camp Nou as Saturday's 'El Clasico' against Real Madrid looms. The 4-0 rout also brought up some interesting statistics which were published on the official Barcelona website. • Pedro's double takes his all-time goal [.

The two historic sides of Spanish football will face-off this weekend in a highly anticipated match expected to carry massive repercussions for the remainder of the season. Real Madrid are on top of the standings with a three point advantage over bitter rivals Barcelona. There is no lost love between the two sides and the regional and geopolitical factors add to the intensity of this clash.

Sergio Roberto celebrates goal against BATE (Photo: REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino)

Barcelona's youngsters turned in a dominant performance, routing Belarus champions Bate Borisov 4-0 in the final round of Champions League group play.

With first place in Group H already wrapped up and el clasico just days away, Guardiola chose to rest the majority of his senior team, letting a largely Barca B squad take the field for a taste of European football.

La Liga Talk recently sat down for an exclusive one-on-one interview with ESPN Deportes soccer analyst (and World Cup star) Mario Kempes to discuss El Clasico as well as his memories of playing in Spain with Valencia.

Here's the interview:

DH: Who is the better manager?

By THOMAS FLOYD

Perhaps the fiercest rivalry the beautiful game has to offer will be renewed at the Bernabeu on this weekend, and -- what's new? -- the stakes are high.

With Real Madrid three points clear of FC Barcelona with a game in hand, Saturday's Clasico (4 p.

Less than 24 hours is left for the start of the first edition of this season's "El Clasico" encounter in the La Liga. Usually this would have been the first meeting between the two giants of not only Spanish football, but World Football. But this year they have already met twice in the two legged Super Copa clash and Barca had emerged deserving winners at the time.

Another El Clasico is upon us Real Madrid hosts archrivals FC Barcelona at the majestic Santiago Bernabeu for a Saturday night La Liga match (kickoff is at 10pmCET/9pmGMT/4pmEST).

This will be, remarkably, the 7th El Clasico of 2011: there were the four matches packed into 18 days last spring (two meetings in the Champions League semifinal, the Copa del Rey final, and their 2nd La Liga match of the season), plus there were two legs to the preseason Spanish Super Copa.

Not pictured: Him tapping the tips of his fingers together and/or petting a white cat.

Don't sweat yet another defeat in the biggest game on Earth, Mr. Mourinho. We've got ten ideas for how to win the return leg that will appeal to your evil genius side.1. Get Carvalho back and once again play Pepe as a rearmost midfield destroyer, hoping his physicality can throw off the Barca rhythm just as Real's pressing did in the opening minutes.

There are only a handful of games across the soccer world on Thursday, but a pretty crucial one is taking place at White Hart Lane, where Chelsea and Tottenham do battle in a London derby (3 p.m., ESPN2/ESPN3.com/ESPN Deportes).

Tottenham sits in third place in the Premier League, two points ahead of the Blues with a game in hand.

23.12.2011 - Si incluso puede dudarse de la competitividad de la Champions League, que nos puede quedar para la Copa del Rey donde, como en la Copa Argentina, se encuentran equipos de todas las categorías.
Barcelona acaba de sellar su clasificación a octavos de final ganándole (9-0) a L'Hospitalet en el Camp Nou con una formación mixta (ida 0-1).

FC Barcelona has been drawn with Osasuna for the next round of Cop del Rey clash. The draw took place today morning and had thrown up some interesting posibilities for next round. Guardiola wouldn't be happy with the dates for the Last 16 round. The frist leg will take place at Camp Nou between jan 3 to Jan 5.

Caprichos del destino y el azar, el sorteo de la Copa ha querido traer un regalo envenenado para Guardiola y Mourinho. Y es que ambos cumplen años en los días en los que teóricamente se disputarían los partidos de ida y vuelta de la eliminatoria de cuartos que mediría a Barcelona y Real Madrid.