"Fed up" Mascherano reiterates Barcelona desire

Javier Mascherano could be the latest midfielder to leave Liverpool for La Liga after the player's brother said he wanted a move to Barcelona.

After Xabi Alonso reportedly handed in a transfer request in his bid to claim a move to Real Madrid, Mascherano's brother now claims the Argentine is keen on a move to their biggest rivals.

Sebastian Mascherano told Spain's COM Radio: 'If Barcelona really come with a very good cash offer, I believe Javier may leave Liverpool as it would be the best for him and his family.

'But I think that if there is no good offer, they will not let him go."

Mascherano's agent Walter Tamer said last week the 25-year-old is 'tired of life' in England with Pep Guardiola's side his preferred destination.

Now the Liverpool star's brother has claimed Mascherano is keen to link up with fellow countryman Lionel Messi.

'I am sure Messi and Javier have spoken,' he said. 'Leo is one of the people who have been pushing the most for Javier to play at Barca.'

Should Alonso be allowed to leave, Rafael Benitez will surely battle hard to keep Mascherano at the club.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic seals Barcelona move

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has signed a five-year deal with Barcelona and claimed that it was fuelled by being "fed up" with Milan and Italian football in general.

The Swede has a fracture in his left hand, but still passed his medical.
The Sweden striker has joined the European champions - with an astronomical buy-out clause of €250m in his contract - after he passed a medical in Spain, though scans did reveal a fracture in his left hand, and wasted no time in launching a parting shot towards his soon-to-be former club.

"When did I start thinking about moving somewhere else? In December, before Christmas,'' he is reported as saying on Tuttomercatoweb.it. "The more I saw Barcelona play, the more I wanted to leave.

"Moreover, I was fed up of Italy, of Milan, of your football: you play badly, there's too much stress. In short, I needed something else. Did Inter pay me more than any other footballer? No comment.''

A statement on Barcelona's website revealed they had paid Inter Milan €46m euros for the Swedish striker, with Samuel Eto'o and Alexander Hleb also joining the Italian champions in the 'swap' deal.

Barca confirmed that Eto'o is valued at €20m in the deal, while Inter will have the chance to buy Hleb for an initial €10m euros once his season-long loan spell is concluded.

Ibrahimovic, who will inherit Eto'o's number nine shirt at Barca and becomes the Catalan giants' third signing of the summer after Brazilian duo Maxwell and Keirrison, said Barcelona was an offer too good to turn down.

''It's a very big thing for me,'' he said. ''There comes a time when you want to develop more and my desire to come to Barcelona was too big to stay at Inter.''

And he revealed that Inter president Massimo Moratti had given him permission to leave several months ago should an offer from Barca arrive.

''Moratti helped me in every way, he did everything for me and my family,'' he said. ''I said to Moratti a few months ago: 'Nobody can get me, only one club can get me and that's Barcelona', and he told me: 'if you want it like that you will get it like that'.

''So all my respect, because it is not easy to sell player that means so much to the team,'' he said.

And the 27-year-old hopes to emulate Eto'o who was a prolific scorer during his time at the Spanish champions.

''I'm not coming here to be Samuel Eto'o, I'm somebody else, somebody new, but I will try to achieve as much as Eto'o, or even more,'' he added.

Barca president Joan Laporta hailed the Swede's arrival.

''He is not a conformist, he is ambitious, a winner, an authentic man with strong feelings and he wanted to come to Barcelona,'' he said. ''(Coach) Pep (Guardiola) said that Zlatan was the ideal player for us, so we are really happy to have him here.''

The former Juventus, Ajax and Inter striker will travel with the team to the United States, but will miss the friendly with Manchester City on August 19.

But Barca sporting director Txiki Begiristain announced that he is set to return for the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Athletic Bilbao four days later.

Begiristain added that he believed Ibrahimovic was the complete striker. ''He has great technical quality, can adapt perfectly to how we play and can hold the ball up - he is a complete player,'' he said.

Barca confirms Villa bid

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has confirmed the club have lodged a bid of over €40million with Valencia for striker David Villa.

A host of top clubs have been chasing Villa this summer, with Barca understood to have been locked in talks with Los Che for the past few weeks.

Real Madrid have already pulled out of the race to sign the 27-year-old forward, saying the price was too high.

Chelsea and Manchester United are both still interested, but Villa's preference is a move to either Real or Barca.

He recently called for a resolution to the situation, with the La Liga season fast approaching.

Now Laporta has confirmed Barcelona want to take him to the Camp Nou. He said: "He's (Villa) a player we're interested in, and we made a good bid for him, closer to €40 million than €50million."

Laporta also confirmed Barca would attempt to sign Franck Ribery, should Bayern Munich decide to sell: "He's (Ribery) a player we are interested in at a logical price. But Bayern don't want to sell. Although if they are interested in selling, we are interested (in buying). We need small adjustments; a left back, a central defender, a midfielder and a forward."

The Samuel Eto'o situation is no closer to being resolved, Laporta said. The Cameroon striker has been offered a two-year contract extension but has yet to respond, while Manchester City have put in an offer for him.

"I have called him a couple of times but he hasn't answered his mobile," Laporta said. "I don't know if he has changed the number or whether he's lost it, but I would like to speak to him."

The Barca president also said there is no way Lionel Messi will be leaving the club: "I love him a lot! He wouldn't leave Barcelona for any price. We are not selling, he has a clause of €150million, but more than that there his commitment to the club."

Laporta confirmed manager Pep Guardiola only has one-year left on his contract, but insisted both parties were content: "He's got a contract until the end of the season and he likes this situation."

Barca star Busquets would welcome Mascherano

Links between Barcelona and Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano continue to strengthen after Barca midfielder Sergi Busquets insisted he would welcome the addition of Javier Mascherano to the treble-winners squad this summer, even though it could spell bad news for his own hopes of securing a starting berth.

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As one of the players whose position could be most threatened by the arrival of Mascherano, 20-year-old Busquets chose not to complain and instead of speaking of his excitement at linking up the Argentine midfielder.

Busquets said in El Mundo Deportivo: "No, the more players that come the better, and they will be welcomed.

"He is a magnificent player and hopefully he can be added.

"The most important thing is that the signings will add to the squad," said Busquets, who believes he has slightly different attributes to Mascherano anyway.

"He is also a defensive player, but perhaps he moves around a lot more conducting play and I maintain my position more and play the ball quicker."

Champion's League: Iniesta's late heartbreaker

Chelsea 1 - 1 Barcelona
2ND LEG: 1 - 1 (Agg)

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Ten-man Barcelona robbed Chelsea of a place in the Champions League final in the cruellest of fashions with a 93rd-minute away goal at Stamford Bridge.
A stunning first-half volley from Michael Essien looked to have earned Chelsea victory and set up a repeat of last year's Champions League final against Manchester United.

But Andres Iniesta beat Petr Cech in the third minute of added time to send the Spanish bench and their fans delirious and leave Guus Hiddink crestfallen.
At the final whistle, Chelsea's players confronted referee Tom Ovrebo, who had waved away at least four penalty appeals during the game.

The scenes descended into anger when Drogba emerged from the tunnel to confront the Norwegian official and was shown a yellow card.
Ovrebo had a poor game and was marshalled down to the tunnel by Chelsea stewards as Drogba continued to complain about his performance.
The Ivorian then vented his fury by shouting "it's a f***ing disgrace'' down the lens of a TV camera, and the fall-out from Drogba's behaviour may yet be met by a UEFA investigation.
It had all looked so promising for Chelsea when Essien, who missed six months of the season while he recovered from a serious knee ligament injury, despatched a 20-yard volley beyond the despairing Victor Valdes.

Chelsea's collective desire to reach the final once more was epitomised in the way they took the fire out of Barcelona's early football.

The Catalans, missing their two first-choice centre-backs through injury and suspension, played some neat, fast and accurate football in the first 20 minutes.
It was a perfect example of the beautiful game mastered by coach Pep Guardiola but it lacked the cutting edge in the absence of the injured Thierry Henry.

The Barca attack has shared more than 90 goals between them this season but Chelsea managed to prevent them scoring in 180 minutes of high-tempo football.
That Chelsea scored with their first real attack of the game would have left the Barca coach bitterly disappointed.

Frank Lampard's attempted cross cannoned off Yaya Toure and Essien despatched his volley into the net via the underside of the crossbar.
It sparked Chelsea into life and, for the remainder of the opening half, they bossed the game.
Lampard almost put Drogba through in the 22nd minute but Valdes managed to beat the Ivorian to the ball on the edge of the penalty area.
Barca were rocking now and a catalogue of fouls by Dani Alves was finally punished with a yellow card when he brought down Ashley Cole. It meant the full-back was out of the final.
But Ovrebo waved away penalty appeals from Chelsea when Drogba, a colossus in attack all night, was brought down by Eric Abidal.
The second half promised more drama and it did not disappoint. Drogba missed a gilt-edged chance when Florent Malouda and Anelka put the Ivorian clear in the 52nd minute.

Somehow, Valdes got a foot to his shot to keep Barca's hopes alive.
But the Catalans were in deep trouble in the 65th minute when Abidal brought down the free-running Anelka and, as the last defender, was shown the red card.
Chelsea continued to take the initiative as Barca were reduced to long-range shots.
In the 70th minute, Valdes saved Guardiola's side again when a Lampard shot took a wicked deflection.

But two minutes later Drogba was replaced by Juliano Belletti, much to the crowd's surprise and the Ivorian's clear disapproval.
As the clock ran down, Chelsea continued to pour forward in search of a decisive second to calm the nerves but, although they had made Barcelona look very ordinary, there was a sting in the tail.

Chelsea's heroes had fought for every ball as if their lives depended on it but they allowed Iniesta too much room and, when he beat Cech from 20 yards in the 93rd minute, chaos descended on Stamford Bridge.
But there was still time for more drama when Michael Ballack's goalbound effort seemed to hit a defender's arm only for Ovrebo to wave away more appeals.
Ballack was shown the yellow card for protesting and, when the final whistle sounded, Barca celebrated in unbridled fashion while Chelsea's players began their attacks on Ovrebo.

It was an unsavoury end to Chelsea's European campaign that may yet have further repercussions for the English side.

La Liga: Barcelona humiliate Real

Real Madrid 2 - 6 Barcelona

Barcelona took a giant step towards winning the Primera Division title after crushing arch rivals and nearest challengers Real Madrid in stunning fashion at the Bernabeu.

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Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi both netted braces while Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique were also on the scoresheet as Pep Guardiola's treble-chasers inflicted a first league defeat on in-form Madrid since beating the reigning champions at the Nou Camp in December.

Madrid had picked up 52 points from a possible 54 since that match, but their hopes of a third successive title now look sunk after they fell seven points adrift of Barca with only four games remaining.

Barca, who also hold the better head-to-head record against their rivals, can now clinch the title next weekend if they beat Villarreal and Madrid lose to Valencia.

In last season's corresponding fixture Barca had a night to forget, starting with the chastening experience of giving hosts Madrid a guard of honour and applauding them onto the pitch for having just won the league, and ending with a 4-1 hammering.

It was a completely different story tonight, though they needed to bounce back from an early deficit as Madrid went ahead inside 14 minutes through Gonzalo Higuain.

Sergio Ramos sent over a cross from the right and Higuain rose unmarked to head home his 19th league goal of the season to send the Bernabeu wild.

Barca need not have worried though as within six minutes of that goal they had turned the game on its head with strikes from Henry and Puyol.

The lively Henry drew Barca level in the 18th minute when Ramos failed to cut out Lionel Messi's through-ball and the Frenchman coolly rolled his shot past Iker Casillas.

Henry was also involved in the goal that put Barca ahead soon after, winning a free-kick to the left of the area that Xavi curled into the area where the unmarked Puyol headed home inside the near post.

It was a two-minute spell which could have helped decide the title, as after that turnaround Barca went into overdrive.

The visitors rode their luck briefly when goalkeeper Victor Valdes did well to deny Arjen Robben, but otherwise it was home custodian Casillas who was under the cosh.

He produced three superb saves to deny Lionel Messi (twice) and Samuel Eto'o in the space of six minutes as Barca repeatedly swept through the home defence.

Casillas could do nothing to prevent Messi putting Barca 3-1 up in the 35th minute though after Madrid committed defensive suicide.

Lassana Diarra was caught in possession by Xavi deep inside Madrid territory, and with the home side's backline nowhere in the vicinity, Messi had all the time in the world to collect the ball, stroll into the area and slide a low shot past Casillas.

That was a bitter blow for Madrid after seemingly weathering the worst of the Barca storm, but it was no more than Guardiola's side deserved.

Barca continued to look the more likely to get another goal as well, with Dani Alves testing Casillas with a long-range free-kick just before the break before Iniesta went close at the start of the second half.

It was actually Madrid who would find the breakthrough though thanks to Ramos.

Iniesta was adjudged to have fouled Robben just outside the box, and from the resulting kick Ramos headed home Robben's cross at the far post to give Madrid a much-needed boost.

That euphoria was to last all of a minute before Henry restored Barca's two-goal advantage.

Xavi picked out the Frenchman's run in behind Ramos and Henry reached the ball before the outreaching Casillas. Madrid fans could only watch in horror as the Barca striker's shot slowly rolled into the net.

That knocked the stuffing out of Madrid, and they were left facing total humiliation after Messi made it 5-2 in the 75th minute, the Argentinian magician picking up a pass from Xavi before beating Casillas at his near post.

The nightmare had not finished there for Madrid though, and Pique wrapped up the scoring eight minutes from time with what was Barca's 100th league goal of the season.

Barca can now look forward to their midweek Champions League semi-final trip to Chelsea confident that they virtually have the Primera Division title wrapped up.

In Saturday's other Spanish games Numancia climbed off the bottom of the league after beating Malaga 2-0, while Seville won 2-0 at Villarreal with Luis Fabiano and Frddie Kanoute scoring the goals.

La Liga: "El Clasico" could shift title momentum

Spain's "El Clasico" between Real Madrid and Barcelona is already one of the biggest club matches in world soccer but has added significance this time with champions Real only four points behind leaders Barca.

Real host the Catalans at the Bernabeu on Saturday knowing victory will put them within one point of their arch rivals with four matches left, while Barca can take a huge step towards a first league triumph in three years.

"Winning the Clasico is the key," former Real midfielder Zinedine Zidane said on Real's website.

"Beating Barcelona would send a signal and create a great chance to be league champions," he added. "If Real Madrid win everything will be different and the league can have a new frontrunner."

Barca's 2-0 victory at the Nou Camp in December, Juande Ramos's league debut as Real coach, put them 12 points clear, but the champions then went on a stunning run of 17 wins and one draw in 18 matches to haul themselves into contention.

Real's elimination from the Champions League and the King's Cup has allowed them to concentrate fully on the Primera Liga, while Pep Guardiola's side are still alive in all three competitions.

The Clasico is sandwiched between Barcelona's two-legged semi-final against Chelsea in Europe's top club competition.

Barca stuttered in February and early March when they drew with Real Betis and then lost to city rivals Espanyol and Atletico Madrid.

Their 2-2 draw at Valencia last weekend, when Real came from a goal down to win 4-2 at third-placed Sevilla, injected new life into the title race.

"If I was a Barcelona player I would be very scared to see a team like Madrid breathing down my neck," Real defender Marcelo told Thursday's As newspaper.

Barca visit the Bernabeu for the first time since last season's humiliating 4-1 defeat when they had to applaud Real on to the pitch in the traditional tribute to the newly-crowned league champions.

Argentina forward Lionel Messi, who scored Barca's second goal in the 2-0 win in December, said there was no desire among the players to avenge that loss.

"Let's hope we can win in Madrid and that will be a big step toward winning the title," he said at a media event in the Catalan capital on Wednesday.

"If we win, we'll be able to go to Chelsea (next week) feeling more relaxed," he added. "We are a very close-knit team and are all very motivated to win a title for Barca after two years without one."

Both coaches have problems with injuries and suspensions.

Barcelona defender Rafael Marquez is out for the season after damaging a knee in the 0-0 home draw with Chelsea on Tuesday, and Real defender Pepe has been banned for 10 matches following his sending off against Getafe on April 21.

Real will also be without midfielder Guti, who has an ankle injury, and it is unclear whether winger Arjen Robben and midfielder Wesley Sneijder will recover from muscle strains in time to feature.

Champion's League: Disciplined Chelsea frustrate Barca

Semi Final Leg 1 Nou Camp
Barcelona 0 - 0 Chelsea

Chelsea's defensive discipline earned them a precious goalless draw against Barcelona to make them slight favourites to reach their second successive Champions League final.
Coach Guus Hiddink's pre-match prediction that the first leg of this semi-final tie would be saturated in goals proved incorrect as Chelsea put in a highly competent defensive shift.

Hiddink's tactic of giving holding roles to both John Obi Mikel and Michael Ballack worked superbly and Lionel Messi was marked out of the contest by Jose Bosingwa.

Barca's strike force of Samuel Eto'o, Messi and Thierry Henry have scored 90 goals between them in all competitions so far this season.

But Henry proved to be Barca's real danger man when he twice forced Petr Cech into important saves in the opening half.

However, to a man, Chelsea were defiant and disciplined with full-backs Branislav Ivanovic and Bosingwa faultless while John Terry and Alex were solid as a rock.

Hiddink will be more than pleased with the night's work and Chelsea should have enough in their artillery to go on and finish the job in the return match next week.

The atmosphere in the stadium was electric with the Nou Camp faithful in full voice.

The hosts almost grabbed an early lead when a free-kick from the left reached Samuel Eto'o at the far post after Cech misread the flight of the ball. However, the Cameroon striker's far-post header flashed across the face of the goal with Rafael Marquez unable to connect.

Cech was in trouble again in the 11th minute when he surprisingly opted to punch clear a cross by Eric Abidal.

Luckily for the Czech, none of the Barcelona forwards were quick enough to capitalise on his error.

But Barcelona soon gained control of the midfield and when Messi slipped Daniel Alves clear, the full-back's dangerous low cross was cleared decisively by Alex.

Moments later, Eto'o tried his luck from 20 yards but his low drive was more than a little wayward and Cech was untroubled by his effort.

Barcelona pegged Chelsea back with a series of corners as the half-hour approached.

Chelsea's defence repelled the danger every time but the Blues were forced to camp in their own half as Barcelona looked for an opening.

In the 28th minute Xavi almost broke the deadlock with a long-range drive that flashed past Cech's right-hand upright.

Moments later Ballack was booked for a foul on Henry but the Barca player certainly made the most of it as he rolled on the ground as though he had been shot.

In the 31st minute though Henry was fit enough to unleash an angled drive that Cech gathered at the near post.

Cech pulled out another outstanding save to deny Henry again in the 34th minute as Barcelona continued to test Chelsea's defensive resolve at every opportunity.

Florent Malouda appeared to catch Alves in an off-the-ball incident and moments later the pair were involved in another spat which German referee Wolfgang Stark again chose to ignore.

But Chelsea should have been ahead when a dreadful back pass by Marquez put Didier Drogba clear in the 38th minute but the Ivorian's shot was twice saved superbly by Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

Barcelona suffered a major blow in the 50th minute when Marquez went down clutching the back of his knee and was carried off with possible ligament damage. He was immediately replaced by Carles Puyol.

But the Catalans won a corner in the 58th minute from which Messi volleyed high over the crossbar from 20 yards.

But Chelsea's defending had been admirable from the kick-off and Hiddink's side showed no sign of capitulating.

Whenever the home side did break through they found Cech in their way. In the 61st minute he proved his worth yet again when he blocked a ferocious angled drive from Alves.

In the 67th minute the former Sevilla star sent a free-kick just over the crossbar and Cech denied Eto'o with a fabulous save when the Barca striker got free of Alex for the first time in the game in the 69th minute.

Frank Lampard was replaced by Juliano Belletti in the 71st minute as Chelsea looked to protect the stalemate.

Puyol was booked for a foul on Michael Essien in the 75th minute and the card rules him out of the return leg at Stamford Bridge.

But Barcelona substitute Bojan Krkic could have won the first leg for his side but he somehow headed a cross from Alves over the bar from point-blank range, and there was still time for fellow sub Alexander Hleb to be denied by another great save from Cech in stoppage time.

It was their last chance and it could have costly repercussions for Pep Guardiola and his side at Stamford Bridge next week.

Barca's Xavi: La Liga better than Premier League

Barcelona midfielder Xavi says the Primera Liga is better than England's Premier League and hopes his side can show it by going all the way in this season's Champions League.

The playmaker had played his whole career at the Nou Camp.
Barca were joined in the semi-finals by three English sides last season, only to be knocked out by eventual champions Manchester United over two legs and this time, three of the last four teams are the same. Like United and Chelsea, Barca have progressed to the semi-final stage once again, while Arsenal are the other side still left in the competition.

The Catalans beat Arsene Wenger's side in the final in 2006 to claim their last major trophy and could set up a repeat performance this time around. Indeed, to win the Champions league for only the third time in their history, Barcelona must overcome two English sides, starting with Chelsea.

Pep Guardiola's side meet the Londoners in the first leg on Tuesday and Xavi hopes his side can show that Spain's top flight is stronger than England's.

''There's not much between the two leagues but I think our league is stronger - it is better technically and there is more tactical order,'' he said on Monday. ''Maybe the Premier League wins in terms of intensity and rhythm.''

''And it's true that there are three English teams in the semi-finals, but we are not here by coincidence.''

Xavi, who began his career at the Catalan club playing alongside Guardiola, had just returned from a bad injury the last time Barcelona won the Champions League and watched on from the bench.

And despite featuring earlier on in the tournament that year, the Spain midfielder admits he is desperate to be involved in a Barca triumph this time around.

''I felt part of that win, but as a professional you want to be out there as a protagonist.

''It's a thorn in my side and I'm desperate for us to get there again so I can be part of it,'' he said.

Xavi believes his team are in better shape than this time last year.

''We are pressurising up front again, we are better tactically, we play with more intensity and more rhythm - and physically we are also better,'' he said.

But the midfielder, who has played a record 107 European games for Barcelona, believes the series will be decided at Stamford Bridge in two weeks.

''Whatever happens, it will be decided at Stamford Bridge... it's very difficult for a tie like this to be decided in the first match,'' he said.

Xavi praised Chelsea pair John Terry and Michael Essien, but hopes the Londoners will miss defensive duo Ricardo Carvalho (injured) and Ashley Cole (suspended).

He added: ''Essien is one of the best players in the world in his position - he's so good at breaking up play. Terry is one of the best defenders out there, he's an admirable footballer. Carvalho and Cole are notable absences, though, so let's hope they miss them.''

Had Cole been available, the left-back would have lined up against right winger Lionel Messi. Jose Bosingwa will now have that unenviable task, but Xavi believes the Argentina forward could be the key player in this tie.

''It's fantastic to have him in our squad and he could be the key man in this series.

''If we win titles and have success collectively, it will be easier for him to win awards like the FIFA World Player or the Golden Ball - he deserves them,'' he said.

Keita targets clean sheet to take to Chelsea

Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita has stressed the importance of not conceding a goal in their Champions League semi-final first leg against Chelsea at the Nou Camp.

In their last 11 games, Barca have kept eight clean sheets and Keita believes they need to do likewise tomorrow against a Chelsea team he admits are a "great side''.

"It's very important to win and not to let a goal in,'' said Keita.

Barca are in the midst of a hectic end to the season as they chase honours on three fronts.

Not only are they in the Champions League semi-finals, but they are four points clear at the top of the Primera Division summit with five games remaining and also in final of the Copa del Rey.

That means the Catalan giants have little respite between matches, but nevertheless Keita insists coach Pep Guardiola's preparations are still meticulous and they will know everything they need to know about Chelsea by the time they face Guus Hiddink's men.

"The coach does a great job in preparing for matches. We see a lot of their games and we analyse their weak points and the dangers they could pose to us,'' he said.

"They (Chelsea) are an opponent we know well, they are a great side. We've seen how they play in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

"They are a difficult team, with physically very strong players, and a team who are capable of causing you problems at any time.''

Barca's bid to win their first Primera Division title since 2006 suffered a setback on Saturday when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Valencia, ending a run of seven successive league wins for Guardiola's side.

However, Barca are still in a strong position above arch rivals Madrid, and Keita insists the players remain in confident mood.

"The team is very calm because we are working well. We are only thinking of ourselves, it's not necessary to look at what Madrid are doing. If we do things well then in the end we will not have to suffer,'' he added.

Tomorrow's clash with Chelsea is not the only huge match Barca have this week.

On Saturday they must travel to the Bernabeu where they face second-placed Madrid in a match that could go a long way to deciding the Primera Division title.

Barca midfielder Xavi said on Catalunya Radio: "If we win at the Bernabeu, the league would be decided.

"We have the hope and the desire to win there, and sign off an excellent campaign for the team.

"We've worked hard to get where we are, we now have a key week for the Champions League and league.''

La Liga: Barcelona humble Sevilla

Andres Iniesta scored a sublime goal and had a hand in three more to inspire Barcelona to a 4-0 humbling of third-placed Sevilla in the Primera Liga on Wednesday.

Champions Real Madrid had upped the pressure with a comeback win over Getafe which halved Barca's advantage to three points but Pep Guardiola's side responded in style to move on to 81 with six matches left.

Sevilla's third straight defeat left them on 57, two ahead of fourth-placed Valencia who won 2-1 at Real Betis thanks to a clinical double from striker David Villa.

Guardiola left Argentine forward Lionel Messi out of his starting line-up at the Nou Camp and gave midfielder Iniesta room to roam in front of Xavi, Yaya Toure and Seydou Keita.

He responded by putting Barca in front after three minutes when he surged through the middle and curled a superb shot into the top corner past goalkeeper Javi Varas, standing in for the suspended Andres Palop.

Iniesta then exchanged passes with his Spain international colleague Xavi and squared the ball for Primera Liga top scorer Eto'o to drive in his 27th goal of the season off Varas on 17 minutes.

Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez brought striker Frederic Kanoute on after the break but the match was effectively over when Iniesta created space on the edge of the area for Xavi to stroke the ball high into the net on 49 minutes.

He capped a fabulous individual display five minutes later when he threaded a pass through for Thierry Henry to slide in Barca's fourth and was given a standing ovation when Aleksandr Hleb replaced him on the hour.

Another dominant home performance by Barca put them a step closer to a first league title in three years and gave them a boost before their Champions League semi-final first leg against Chelsea on Tuesday.

Champion's League: Keita kills off Bayern hopes

Bayern Munich 1 - 1 Barcelona

2ND LEG: 1 - 5 (Agg)

Bayern Munich shared a 1-1 draw with Barcelona to partly make up for a crushing defeat in Spain last week - but they were still eliminated from the Champions League 5-1 on aggregate.
Franck Ribery gave Bayern the lead in the 47th minute, but Barca hit back with Seydou Keita's drive restoring parity in the 73rd minute.

It was always going to take a miracle for Bayern to overturn the substantial 4-0 deficit in front of their own fans at the Allianz Arena and, as expected, it proved to be a bridge too far for the Bundesliga side.

Bayern made four changes to the team which crashed to defeat in Spain last week with Lucio and Philipp Lahm reinforcing the defence in place of Breno and Massimo Oddo, while Jose Ernesto Sosa started on the wing for Hamit Altintop and Andreas Ottl took over from Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Barcelona lost Thierry Henry to a fever with Keita given the nod. Eric Abidal took the place of the suspended Rafael Marquez.

If Bayern were going to make a game of it, it was imperative they scored early on and they had the chance to do so in the sixth minute when Sosa robbed Abidal and swung in a tempting cross which Luca Toni unconvincingly flicked wide from eight yards.

Toni had the ball in the back of the net a minute later, but the linesman's flag had long since been raised to deny him.

Italy international Toni then turned provider for Franck Ribery to fire just over the crossbar from the edge of the penalty area as the home side made a bright start.

Barca needed time to get into the game, but their first spell of pressure coincided with several incursions from Messi.

He set up Samuel Eto'o in the 34th minute, but the Cameroon international's shot was blocked by Lucio.

Daniel Alves then shot over the crossbar before Martin Demichelis made a crucial sliding challenge to deny Messi.

Bayern weathered the first storm adequately and returned to the other end for Toni to blaze his angled drive over the crossbar after being fed by Van Bommel.

And the hosts went ahead two minutes into the second half when Ze Roberto slid a pass into the path of Ribery, who shifted the ball onto his preferred right foot and fired high into Victor Valdes' goal.

Even though their overall advantage was barely dented by the goal, Barca's pride was still at stake and they showed they did not want to be beaten on the night.

They had an appeal for a penalty waved away by referee Roberto Rosetti when Mark van Bommel used his strength to barge Andres Iniesta to the ground.

A skilful exchange of passes led to Barca's equaliser in the 73rd minute as their slick one-touch football carved open the Bayern defence with Keita providing the finish from 25 yards.

Iniesta, Eto'o and Xavi Hernandez all combined to provide Keita with the chance to put the tie beyond any doubt and set up a semi-final meeting with Chelsea for Pep Guardiola's men.

Champion's League: Messi stars in rout

Barcelona 4 - 0 Bayern Munich

Barcelona took a giant step towards the semi-finals of the Champions League as they thrashed Bayern Munich 4-0 at the Nou Camp.
Barca's rampant strikeforce did the damage in a completely one-sided first half.

The Catalans raced into a two-goal lead within 12 minutes as Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o struck early on.

And the locals' dominance brought two more goals before half-time, with Thierry Henry setting up Messi for his second seven minutes before the break and then slotting home a fourth himself just before the interval.

Bayern had advanced to the quarter-finals in style, thrashing Sporting Lisbon 12-1 on aggregate to seal a spot in the last eight.

But Jurgen Klinsmann's side have been less impressive in the Bundesliga.

They came into this match in fourth place and on the back of a humiliating 5-1 defeat at Wolfsburg on Saturday.

Following that disappointment, Klinsmann opted to drop goalkeeper Michael Rensing, while Philip Lahm remains short of fitness and was left on the bench.

With striker Miroslav Klose out injured and Lukas Podolski set to leave the club at the end of the season, Bayern began with Italy striker Luca Toni alone up front.

But Barcelona, with only Eric Abidal missing from their strongest XI, fielded a customary attack-minded line-up.

With Xavi and Andres Iniesta pulling the strings in midfield and Messi, Eto'o and Henry causing havoc up front, Pep Guardiola's side soon took control of the game.

Henry almost put the home side in front after six minutes, but the former Arsenal man saw his shot cleared off the line by Martin Demichelis.

That was a warning for Bayern and three minutes later, Barca went in front.

The Catalans tore the visitors' defence apart with a flowing move and Eto'o set up Messi, who drilled a neat finish past Hans-Jorg Butt to open the floodgates.

And three minutes later, Messi returned the compliment as he slid a deadly ball into the path of Eto'o and the Cameroon striker clinically slotted past the helpless Butt.

Messi should have had a penalty five minutes later when he was brought down in the box by Christian Lell.

But instead, the Argentina forward received a booking for his troubles as the Nou Camp roared with disapproval.

Henry then drilled a shot just wide, but the flag was already up for offside and his effort would not have counted.

The France striker was a constant threat to the Bayern defence and he set up Barca's third seven minutes before the break.

Henry beat his marker for pace on the left and flashed a low centre across the six-yard box which Messi poked home with his outstretched right leg to give Barcelona a three-goal lead.

And two minutes before the break, the Catalans scored again.

Messi charged in from the right flank and laid the ball off to Eto'o, who in turn found Henry and the unmarked Frenchman slid a low angled drive into the bottom right-hand corner to virtually seal Barca's passage to the semi-final within just 45 minutes.

Bayern were also lucky not to go down to 10 men as former Barca midfielder Mark Van Bommel got away with a cynical elbow on Messi just before Henry slotted home.

Iniesta then miscued a shot from six yards out as the locals threatened to go five ahead before the break.

And their dominance continued after the interval.

Messi's shot was pushed onto the woodwork by Butt just short of the hour-mark and Iniesta drilled an effort wide of the target with 12 minutes left.

At the other end, Carles Puyol's last-ditch tackle had denied Ze Roberto shortly before that.

But in truth, Bayern had not been in the game and a goal would have been flattering to the Germans.

Iniesta was denied by Butt late on and Messi's injury-time effort was bizarrely kept out by his own team-mate Seydou Keita, hitting the Cameroon midfielder in the face and ending up out of play.

Rafa Marquez forced a booking late on and will miss the return leg in Munich, but Barcelona should now progress to the semi-finals for the second year running to face either Liverpool or Chelsea.

And it looks as if another grudge tie with the Londoners is on the cards after Guus Hiddink's side triumphed 3-1 at Anfield.

Champion's League: Barca stirkers turn on the style to reach quarters

Barcelona 5 - 2 Lyon

A quickfire Thierry Henry double spurred Barcelona on to a 5-2 rout of Olympique Lyon and a place in the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.
The Primera Liga leaders, who won 6-3 on aggregate, overwhelmed the French champions to take a 4-0 lead inside 43 minutes with further goals from Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o.
The euphoria inside a packed Nou Camp was tempered, however, when Lyon scored either side of halftime through Jean Makoun and Juninho to give themselves a ray of hope.
But their chances of progressing had all but disappeared by the time substitute Seydou Keita went clear in added time to score past Hugo Lloris and round off a superb Barca performance.
Coach Pep Guardiola said it had been one of the best of the season. "We had a little fright when they scored their second but we managed to plug the gaps," he said at a news conference.
The Catalans showed few ill-effects from a recent poor run of form and dominated the opening stages. Midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta orchestrated some trademark, slick passing moves and both Eto'o and Iniesta had good early chances.
Lyon had to wait for almost 20 minutes for their first scoring opportunity when Karim Benzema broke clear on the left but Ederson was unable to convert the striker's low cross.
Barca's breakthrough came in the 25th minute when Rafael Marquez chipped a pass to send Henry clear down the middle and the France international, scorer of the goal in the 1-1 draw in the first leg, finished with ease.
Xavi was the provider for Henry's second two minutes later, releasing him on the left of the penalty area to send a powerful shot inside the bottom corner.
Messi's goal on 40 minutes was typical of the Argentine international. After cutting in from the right and leaving several Lyon players in his wake he exchanged passes with Eto'o and slotted calmly past Lloris.
Henry turned provider three minutes later when he released Eto'o in the centre and the Cameroon international powered the ball into the top right corner to make it 5-1 on aggregate.
Barca were temporarily rocked back when Makoun rose to nod in Juninho's corner on 44 minutes and Benzema cleverly let Cesar Delgado's cross run on for Juninho to make it 4-2 on the night just after the break.
Juninho was shown a second yellow card in added time after having words with Brazilian compatriot Daniel Alves lying prone on the ground after a clash with Fabio Grosso and Keita's goal five minutes into stoppage time was the final action of a high-quality match.
Lyon coach Claude Puel paid tribute to Barca's ability to maintain possession and starve his side of room.
"I think you just have to praise this Barcelona team," he told a news conference. "They showed they were superior tonight in all areas and we just have to accept that."

Barca seeking boost in King's Cup semi-final

Under-pressure Barcelona face an improved Real Mallorca side in Wednesday's King's Cup semi-final second leg (2100 GMT) as they attempt to break their run of four matches without a win in all competitions.

The Primera Liga leaders have a 2-0 advantage from last month's first leg at the Nou Camp but in contrast to Barcelona's recent poor showing, Mallorca have won their last three league matches and moved out of the relegation places into 16th.

Barca defender Silvinho said the poor results, including Sunday's 4-3 loss at Atletico Madrid when the Catalans twice surrendered the lead, would not affect their performance.

"This is a different competition and we won't be suffering from any damage to our spirits because of what happened on Sunday," the Brazilian said on Barca's website (www.fcbarcelona.com).

"It could be a problem if we think about the result in the first leg so we have to play our normal game and concentrate on attacking to win the match but it will be difficult."

They were confident of reaching May's final, he added, when they will face either Athletic Bilbao or Sevilla, who play in Bilbao earlier on Wednesday (1900).

Barca's advantage over champions Real Madrid in the league was 12 points when they won the Cup first leg on Feb. 5 but the form that helped them amass 65 goals and concede just 15 in the 21 league matches up to that point has deserted them.

They now lead Real by just four points in the standings and Mallorca's Venezuelan forward Juan Arango, who scored the winner in the club's 1-0 win at Sporting Gijon on Sunday, said Barca were clearly not invincible.

"We are just one step away from the final and we will make an incredible effort to get there," he told the club's website (www.rcdmallorca.es).

Sevilla won the first leg of their tie against Athletic Bilbao 2-1 and came back from a goal down to win 2-1 at the San Mames in the league on Saturday.

Sevilla striker Frederic Kanoute scored a stylish double in that match against an understrength Athletic but said Wednesday's game will have a completely different complexion to their league clash.

"But we are confident and they will be more nervous than us," the Mali international said on the club's website (www.sevillafc.es). "We have a comfortable advantage and we won't be intimidated by the atmosphere."

La Liga: Aguero stuns Barca in seven-goal thriller

Sergio Aguero scored a dramatic late winner as Atletico Madrid twice came from behind to stun visiting Barcelona 4-3 on Sunday and extend the Primera Liga leaders' miserable run of form.

Real Madrid's 2-0 win at Espanyol on Saturday, their 10th straight victory, had upped the pressure on Barca, who have now taken only one point from their last three matches and had their advantage over the champions whittled down to four points.

Atletico started brightly but fell behind to a superb Thierry Henry goal on 19 minutes. The ball fell kindly to the French international just outside the penalty area and he curled a superb shot over Leo Franco into the top right corner.

Lionel Messi left the Atletico defence trailing and finished clinically to double Barca's advantage 12 minutes later before Diego Forlan lashed a shot from long range that flew over Victor Valdes into the net to pull one back.

A mistake by Barca defender Rafael Marquez let Aguero in to equalise early in the second half but the home side fell behind again when Eidur Gudjohnsen raced clear and squared for Henry to score his second on 72 minutes.

Forlan scored from the penalty spot with 10 minutes left after Henry was adjudged to have fouled Florent Sinama Pongolle and Aguero burst through a Carles Puyol tackle and side-footed past Valdes for the winner on 89 minutes.

Guardiola congratulated Atletico and said their direct style of play had caused his players problems.

"We'll pick ourselves up, try to correct what is going wrong and carry on working," the former Barca midfielder said at a news conference. "I have a great deal of faith in my players."

In other matches on Sunday, Valencia's poor run of form continued and Unai Emery's side were whistled by their disgruntled home supporters as they dropped to sixth behind Atletico on goal difference.

Jonathan Sesma opened the scoring with a powerful header after six minutes, Luis Cesar Sanchez deflected a cross onto Raul Albiol and into the net for an own goal just after the half hour and Carlos Marchena pulled one back with 16 minutes left.

Villarreal just managed to hold on for the draw after going 2-0 ahead thanks to goals from Spain winger Santi Cazorla and stay in fourth, five points behind third-placed Sevilla.

Sergio Garcia began the Betis fightback with a superbly take goal in the 42nd minute and Ricardo Oliveira equalised just before the hour.

Ten-man Malaga slipped one place to seventh while Recre's first victory in five matches lifted them to 13th.

Defender Lolo was shown a straight red card just after the half hour when he caught Jesus Vazquez with his arm. Javier Camunas found the bottom left corner with a drive on 55 minutes and Adrian Colunga struck 10 minutes later to seal the win.

Bottom-club Numancia's woes continued as Juan Rodriguez scored the winner with 15 minutes left as the Galicians cemented their hold on eighth place in the standings.

Angel Lafita powered through the centre and released Rodriguez on the right and the midfielder sent an angled shot into the net past Juan Pablo Colinas.

Osasuna came back from a goal down to extend their unbeaten run to six, although they slipped back into the relegation zone thanks to Real Mallorca's win at Sporting Gijon.

Osasuna goalkeeper Roberto Fernandez could only deflect a powerful drive from striker Oscar Serrano into the net after 13 minutes and Uruguayan striker Walter Pandiani equalised with a powerful header in first-half added time.

Mallorca took the points thanks to Juan Arango's superb curled freekick from long range early in the second period and the islanders moved out of the relegation places into 16th.

Alvaro Negredo scored twice to help the home side battle back from a goal down as Almeria moved up two spots to 11th.

Ecuador midfielder Joffre Guerron was on hand on eight minutes to tap in after the ball bounced down off the crossbar. Negredo levelled five minutes later when he turned in a low cross from the left and grabbed the winner with 25 minutes left with a deflected shot.

Guardiola content despite end of winning run

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola remained in upbeat mood despite seeing his team's winning streak come to an end at Real Betis.

Barca went into the clash at the Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera having won 10 successive games in La Liga but they had to settle for a point after playing out a 2-2 draw.

It could have been much worse for the runaway leaders though as they trailed 2-0 after just 25 minutes and were indebted to a brace from Samuel Eto'o, whose equaliser came six minutes from the end, for salvage something from the match.

Guardiola said: "We came to win and it didn't happen, but there are no reproaches. We cannot say that we didn't fight and that we didn't put the effort in. We battled throughout and created many chances.

"When a team have performed the way Barca have you cannot reproach them at all. I'm very satisfied. I worry if we slip up when we've played badly, but I don't have this feeling.

"I think we dominated the game. I would have liked like to have won, but it is what it is. We picked up a point."

The draw means Barca's lead at the summit can now be trimmed back to 10 points if Real Madrid beat Sporting Gijon away this evening.

"There are still 15 games to play, a lot of the league ahead. We've been saying this for a long time, you have to continue forward and take it step by step," Guardiola added.

He also had words of praise for Betis, who despite spending big over the last six months find themselves worryingly close to the relegation zone.

Last weekend's win derby win over Sevilla and the draw against Barca have left Paco Chaparro's side six points above the bottom three ahead of today's matches and Guardiola envisages no problems for the Seville-based outfit come the end of the campaign.

"I want to congratulate Betis for the game they played, I expected our opponents to play like that," Guardiola said.

"It was an entertaining game and the fans will have enjoyed it. We faced a great team, made up of very good players. We expect to see them safe at the end of the season."

King Cup: Barca ease through Copa semi-final first-leg win

Barcelona 2 - 0 Mallorca

A Thierry Henry header and a curled freekick from Rafael Marquez gave Barcelona a 2-0 win over Real Mallorca in their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg on Thursday.
The Primera Liga leaders dominated the early stages at the Nou Camp and teenage striker Bojan Krkic and midfielder Andres Iniesta both went close before Henry struck in the 35th minute.

Bojan clipped over an inch-perfect cross from the right and the French international leapt between two defenders to nod past Mallorca goalkeeper German Lux.
Marquez stepped up in the 73rd minute to take the freekick after Iniesta was brought down just outside the area and the Mexican defender bent the ball over the wall and into the top left corner. In Wednesday's semi-final first leg, 2007 winners Sevilla fought back from a goal down to beat visiting Athletic Bilbao 2-1 thanks to Lautaro Acosta's injury-time winner.

The second legs are scheduled for the first week of March and the final is on May 13 in Valencia.

Guardiola delighted as Barcelona's run goes on

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola felt his side were full value for their win over Racing Santander even though the runaway Primera Liga leaders had to do it the hard way before recording their 18th league victory in 19 matches.

With second-placed Real Madrid winning on Saturday night to trim Barca's lead at the summit to nine points, the Catalan giants were under a little bit of pressure at El Sardinero, especially after falling behind through Nikola Zigic's 56th-minute penalty. However, the arrival soon after that goal of Lionel Messi from the bench totally changed the complexion of the game, with the Argentina superstar equalising six minutes after coming on and then scoring a superb winner 10 minutes from time.

Barca could not relax even after that though with defensive duo Gerard Pique and Rafael Marquez being sent off in the closing stages, but despite all those setbacks, Guardiola believes his men were worthy winners.

"We dominated and attacked throughout the match. It's true that when Messi went on we scored the goals, and that was what we lacked in the first half," Guardiola said.

"We did not test the goalkeeper enough, did not create enough danger, and that makes it difficult to score. That was our only problem.

"We had an excellent game. I think we deserved to win and we have taken another step towards the league, but there is still a long away to go.

"We won at a ground which historically has been very hard for Barca."

Messi's match-winning strike had double significance for Barca, as it was also the club's 5,000th league goal.

The Argentinian admits he did not realise what he had achieved during the game, but was keen to ensure the ball was kept for posterity afterwards.

"I took the ball for the 5,000th goal. It's for the club and for the museum. The ball will go to the museum," Messi said on his club's website.

"We always want to score goals, but we hadn't thought about the 5,000th goal.

"I didn't know it was the 5,000th goal, despite having heard talk about it."

La Liga: Messi double gives Barca narrow win

Lionel Messi came off the bench and scored twice in the second half as Barcelona, who survived two late dismissals, won 2-1 at Racing Santander on Sunday and maintained their huge lead in the Primera Liga. Racing gave the visitors little space and took the lead after the restart when Nikola Zigic scored from the penalty spot.

Messi's introduction galvanised Barca and the Argentine stole in to score the equaliser within 10 minutes of coming on the pitch, and grabbed the winner nine minutes from time. Barca, who had Rafael Marquez and Gerard Pique sent off in the closing minutes, restored their 12-point lead at the top of the standings -- moving on to 56 points from 21 games.

"I was pleased with the way we kept control of the ball and did not lose our shape when we went behind. It's an honour to work with these players," Barca coach Pep Guardiola said.

"It's another three points and another small step forward."

Champions Real Madrid, who beat Numancia 2-0 away on Saturday, are second.

Third-placed Sevilla, with 38 points, lost ground on the leaders after losing a bruising encounter 1-0 away to Sporting Gijon in the late game.

Sporting missed a fifth-minute penalty before Diego Castro headed them in front, but they were reduced to ten men just before the half-hour mark when Roberto Canella was sent off.

King's Cup semi-finalists Sevilla were unable to find a way through their spirited hosts and are now just one point ahead of Valencia, who were led to a 3-2 home win over Almeria by a fit-again David Villa.

The Spain striker scored a penalty and the decider to take his tally for the season to 17.

Villarreal stay fifth with 34 points after falling 3-0 away to Deportivo Coruna, who climbed to sixth.