A goal from Bojan Krkic after twelve minutes was enough to give Barcelona a victory in the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen tonight which leaves Barça very close to a semi final place in this season's Champions League. The performance was not pretty but the players showed the pride that seemed to be lacking recently to earn a deserved victory. Frank Rijkaard made just one change to the team that lost to Betis, with Milito returning to the defence in place of Thuram. Samuel Eto'o was declared fit and battled for 81 minutes on the right wing despite not looking at 100%, while Toure Yaya gave another display of total commitment to the cause before making way for Rafa Marquez to return to the team for the last twenty minues.

Barça started in much the same way as they had agains...

In a horribly cruel night for culés, Barça forgot one of football's most basic rules: that the game lasts for 90 minutes. After an excellent first half that saw Barça take a two goal lead, the team relaxed in the second half and then crumbled as soon as Betis pulled a goal back. Two late strikes saw Betis take the three points that had seemed destined for Barcelona for most of the game.

In the first ten minutes there were signs of what might come later as Barça's horizontal possession game contrasted with Betis's straight-for-goal approach. Twice Betis threatened after Barça had lost possession, but this was quickly forgotten as Barça hit back with ten minutes of superb football. Eto'o was the first to come close when he forced a save from Casto after a corner from Xavi reached him, a...

Barça got a much needed boost to their confidence with a 4-1 win over Valladolid at Camp Nou this afternoon, but if truth be told they didn't play much better than in the 2-2 draw at Almeria last week. With parts of the public intent on whistling the team at various points of the game it was a nervous performance from the team.

Frank Rijkaard made two changes to the team that lost at Valencia. Thierry Henry returned to the team at the expense of Gudjohnsen but gave another disappointing performance, and Sylvinho came in for Abidal and had a very good game at left back. Toure Yaya continued in midfield but once again showed that he is not fit enough to play at the level expected of him.

Eto'o, Bojan and Henry interchanged positions in attack throughout the game but Eto'o was mostly on the...

If this is the reaction to the players being offered a special bonus, it would be better that Laporta keeps the money in the bank. Barça were comprehensively outfought by a mediocre Valencia team who now go on to face Getafe in the final. Frank Rijkaard made just two changes to the team that drew at Almeria, Toure Yaya came in for Edmilson while Zambrotta returned at right back which meant Puyol moved to centre back in place of Thuram. The changes looked like it would lead to an improvement but instead things just got worse.

Barça began promisingly creating the first couple of chances, after just three minutes Milito met Xavi's corner with a firm header that was headed onto his own crossbar by Maduro, and then a couple of minutes later Iniesta hit a shot from 25 yards that Hildebrand save...

Barça got to within 5 minutes of pulling off a heroic win in Almeria, but poor defending at corners eventually let us down and means that the difference with Real Madrid is only reduced to seven points. An extremely harsh decision to send off Gabi Milito left Barça with ten men to defend a lead for the last twenty minutes, but in the end it was the lack of concentration at corners that cost Barça the points.

There was a scrappy start to the game as both sides gave the ball away too easily. Frank Rijkaard's decision to leave Thierry Henry on the bench meant that Barça fielded a hard working team but one that struggled to create chances. However, in the 17th minute Abidal found Iniesta in space on the left, and he cut inside the defender and shot low forcing a save from Diego Alves that...

It's enough to make you cry with frustration. Having reduced the gap to only two points two weeks ago Barça's defeat at home to Villarreal leaves the team eight points behind Madrid with only eleven games to go. Frank Rijkaard went for the remaining (not so) fantasticos in the forward line but they rarely managed to connect on a rainy night that Villarreal thoroughly deserved their victory.

With Ronaldinho starting on the right Barça started well enough with Abidal creating an early chance for Eto'o that was well saved by Diego Lopez. Villareal hit back forcing a diving save from Valdés in the 11th minute after Matias Fernandez ran at the defence and shot. Abidal and Zambrotta were both getting forward to support the attack, but with Ronaldinho drifting infield the connection between the f...

FC Barcelona reached the last eight of the Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Celtic, but the night was spoilt for Barça due to a muscle injury to Leo Messi which could see him out for at least a month. Messi pulled up in the 34th minute and immediately put his hands to his head in frustration. First reports say it is a torn biceps femoris muscle in the left leg which is the same injury that he suffered against Valencia. That time he was out for five weeks but it all depends on the size of the tear and we will have to wait until tomorrow's scans to know the extent of the injury. 

Gabi Milito was forced to sit out after getting a poor night's sleep due to a fever, so given that Marquez is still injured, Lilian Thuram partnered Carles Puyol in central defence.  Iniesta, Henry and Abid...

Having reduced the difference with Real Madrid to two points, Barça's defeat at Atletico Madrid has seen the gap open again to five. Despite taking the lead through a tremendous overhead kick from Ronaldinho, Barça were hit by two goals before half time that left them groggy and Atletico, led by a superb Kun Agüero, took full advantage. 

Frank Rijkaard surprised everyone by continuing with his policy of rotations, leaving Leo Messi on the substitutes' bench; however, after the game Johan Neeskens claimed that it was because Messi was not at 100%. Whatever the truth, Barça began with Eto'o out of position on the right, Ronaldinho out of position at centre forward, and Thierry Henry playing on the left.

For the first half an hour Barça dominated the game but without creating...

A last gasp effort from Xavi Hernandez gave Barça a deserved equalizer in tonight's Copa del Rey semi final first leg game with Valencia. David Villa had given Valencia the lead against the run of play in the 70th minute, but Barça's hard work was finally rewarded with a goal that gives them every chance for the second leg in three weeks' time. 

There were few surprises in the starting lineup, Iniesta was left on the bench to make room for the return of Deco, while Abidal and Henry returned in place of Sylvinho and Ronaldinho. Valencia played with what looked to be an exciting 4-3-3 formation, but in the end they played with everyone back awaiting the counter attack.

Barça started promisingly and had a tremendous triple chance to take the lead in the 7th minute, Messi ...

It may only have been Levante but Barça gave a fine display today, especially in the second half, and ended up winning comfortably by five goals to one. Samuel Eto'o returned to the starting lineup and showed why Barça have missed him so much by bagging a second half hat-trick, while Xavi Hernandez and Leo Messi both capped good performances with goals in the first half. 

Frank Rijkaard made four changes to the team that beat Celtic, with Zambrotta, Sylvinho, Xavi and Eto'o in place of Marquez, Abidal, Deco and Henry, which meant that Puyol moved back to central defence. Barça started well and looked to have taken the lead in the eighth minute after Iniesta set up Eto'o but the linesman had flagged for an offside on Iniesta. Then in the 12th minute a great crossfield pass from Ronaldi...