Barcelona boss Xavi said on-loan forward Joao Felix is “super motivated” for Sunday’s LaLiga clash against his parent club Atletico Madrid.

Portugal international Felix, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Chelsea, will return to the Metropolitano Stadium for the first time since joining Barca in September.

Felix has scored eight goals in all competitions for Xavi’s side, including the winner against Atletico in Barca’s home fixture in December, since arriving on a season-long loan.

Xavi told a press conference: “He likes fiery atmospheres to show his worth. Joao has a strong personality. He is not afraid and really wants to show what he can do and his character.

“He has all he needs for a great performance, just like the one from earlier in the season (when Barca beat Atletico 1-0) – he’s super motivated.”

Atletico pair Antoine Griezmann and Memphis Depay are also hoping to face their former club in a game Xavi described as a “vital one, like all the ones that remain because we need to pick up points in the league”.

Barca currently sit third in the table and are running out of chances to cut the sizeable gap to leaders Real Madrid.

Atletico, in fourth place, six points adrift of Barca, are unbeaten at home in the league in 14 matches this season.

Diego Simeone’s side bounced back from last Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Cadiz by beating Inter Milan on penalties in midweek to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

Xavi, whose side also progressed to the last eight of the Champions League in midweek after overcoming Napoli, added: “The game is against a Champions League rival and they showed that the other day (against Inter). It will be a really tough away game and I think both sides are in good form.

“I’m sure it will be a great game and let’s hope we can pick up three points, although I don’t think they have lost at home in the league since we won there last season (January 2023).”

Xavi said he was hopeful both Marcos Alonso and Ferran Torres can recover from injury in time to feature in his squad.

Robert Lewandowski scored a crucial late goal as a nervy Barcelona edged into the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Napoli.

Lewandowski’s 83rd-minute effort finally finished off the Italians at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium with Barca progressing 4-2 on aggregate.

Barca had stormed ahead with goals in quick succession from Fermin Lopez and Joao Cancelo but Napoli hit back through Amir Rrahmani and were threatening an equaliser before Lewandowski had the last word.

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen had the first chance of what proved an open game but failed to trouble Marc-Andre Ter Stegen before Lopez dragged a shot wide at the other end.

That proved a sighter for Lopez, who opened the scoring after 15 minutes following a flowing Barca move.

Cancelo was involved on the left before Raphinha reached the byline and pulled the ball back invitingly in front of goal. Lewandowski cleverly left the ball for the inrushing Lopez and he sidefooted firmly home.

Barca doubled their lead just two minutes later after Lamine Yamal controlled a high ball on the edge of his own box and launched a rapid counter-attack.

He broke deep into Napoli territory and then released Raphinha, who cut inside on to his right foot and thumped a shot against the post. As the ball rebounded, Cancelo was on hand to tuck away.

It seemed the Catalan giants were cruising but Napoli served warning they were not out of the contest as Osimhen tested Ter Stegen, although he was given offside.

The Italian side grabbed a goal back after 30 minutes as Matteo Politano pulled the ball back across the area and Rrahmani met it with a nice left-foot finish.

They then threatened an equaliser before the break as Giovanni Di Lorenzo got forward but Ter Stegen tipped over his dipping header.

Napoli pushed again after the break and wanted a penalty after Osimhen went down following a challenge from Pau Cubarsi but nothing was given.

Barca were forced to defend deep and struggled to get out of their half until Raphinha forced Alex Meret to save from a free-kick after 67 minutes.

Yamal then turned the ball into the net after a Lewandowski header was saved but it was ruled out for offside.

Ilkay Gundogan had a shot on the turn saved by Meret as Barca began to regain control but they were almost caught out when Jesper Lindstrom planted a header narrowly wide for Napoli.

Lewandowski claimed Barca’s decisive third goal seven minutes from time with a close-range finish after neat interplay between Gundogan and Sergi Roberto.

Napoli were not quite done as substitute Mathias Olivera rattled the woodwork and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sent a ferocious drive inches wide, but Barca had done enough.

Barcelona boss Xavi has declared Tuesday’s Champions League tie with Napoli as their most important game of the season.

The two sides shared the first-leg honours in Italy three weeks ago, with Robert Lewandowski’s effort cancelled out by Victor Osimhen for Napoli in the 1-1 draw.

Five-time winners Barcelona have not reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League since the 2019-20 season, and Xavi is in no doubt as to the significance of the round-of-16 second-leg return at Estadi de Montjuic.

“It’s the most important game of the season and we are prepared with enthusiasm,” said Xavi.

“It’s been four years since we’ve been in the quarter-finals and that’s how we approach it.

“We want to compete against an opponent who, even though they’re not in the best moment, has the foundation of being Serie A champion.

“We need a full stadium. The fans have to be loud and turn Montjuic into a pressure cooker.”

Barcelona have been hit by injuries with Pedri (hamstring), Frenkie De Jong (ankle), Ferran Torres (hamstring), Gavi (knee) and Alejandro Balde (hamstring) all sidelined.

But the Catlans extended their unbeaten run to eight games with a 1-0 LaLiga win over Mallorca on Friday.

Xavi said: “The youngsters are key. We have to let them enjoy the moment.

“We have some important players out, but we will compete. I am very happy with my players.

“We have to play as a team if we want to be in the Champions League quarter-finals.

“We were the better side over there and on Tuesday, we have to be the better side here.

“I don’t think Napoli will sit back with the tie as it is. I expect to face a brave Napoli side who will play from the back and try to control possession.”

Napoli trio Amir Rrahmani, Cyril Ngonge and Jens Cajuste remain injury doubts after sitting out the 1-1 Serie A draw with Torino on Friday.

Francesco Calzona’s maiden game as Napoli coach was the first leg and the Italian champions are unbeaten in his five games, with two wins and three draws.

Calzona said: “We will go there with respect for the opponent but without fear. We are Napoli.

“We have started a journey and the team has made an important step forward.

“The boys have shown me great availability from day one from all points of view. There is a great desire to do well and five useful results don’t happen by chance.

“Sometimes we have to concede something, but we have to be more careful about the details. Little by little we will adjust this aspect too.”

Barcelona leapfrogged Catalan rivals Girona into second place in LaLiga after Lamine Yamal’s second-half goal handed them a 1-0 win against Real Mallorca.

The 16-year-old winger netted his sixth goal of the season in the 73rd minute, cutting inside on to his left foot and lashing a shot into the corner to break the visiting sides’ resolve.

Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi had headed against the crossbar with goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen beaten, as Barca’s six-game unbeaten run in the league came under threat.

Victory drags them to within five points of leaders Real Madrid, who have a game in hand.

Defending Serie A champions Napoli’s mini revival stalled as Torino hit back to earn a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia made the breakthrough for the home side just past the hour mark as they sought a third win on the bounce to energise an unlikely late bid to qualify for the Champions League.

But Antonio Sanabria scored minutes later to leave Napoli lagging seven points behind the top four.

In the Bundesliga, Stuttgart moved a step closer to Champions League qualification with a comfortable 2-0 win at home to Union Berlin.

Serhou Guirassy and Chris Fuhrich scored to cement their team’s position in third and move them to within a point of Bayern Munich.

Meanwhile, Nice saw their own hopes of reaching Europe’s top competition suffer a setback as they were beaten 2-1 at home by Montpellier in Ligue 1.

Jean-Clair Todibo’s own-goal put the visitors – who climbed out of the relegation zone up to 12th – ahead after 10 minutes, before Jeremie Boga promptly levelled.

But Teji Savanier netted the winner from the penalty spot late in the first half to leave Nice a point outside of the top four.

Teenager Lamine Yamal struck a fine winner as Barcelona beat Mallorca 1-0 at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys to move into second place in the LaLiga table.

The 16-year-old beat Predrag Rajkovic with a delightful curling effort in the 73rd minute, having seen the Mallorca goalkeeper tip his shot against the crossbar earlier in the second half.

That was among a number of impressive saves made by Rajkovic, which also included keeping out Ilkay Gundogan’s first-half penalty.

Having avoided a second successive 0-0 draw, Xavi’s men leapfrog Girona into second place, lying two points in front of them and five behind leaders Real Madrid ahead of those sides hosting Osasuna on Saturday and Celta Vigo on Sunday respectively.

Barca’s starting line-up showed four changes from last weekend’s goalless stalemate at Athletic Bilbao, with those coming out of the XI including midfielders Frenkie De Jong and Pedri after they were injured in that game, and Robert Lewandowski, who was on the bench.

The suspended Ronald Araujo was the other man dropping out of the team as 18-year-old Marc Guiu, Yamal, Joao Felix and Inigo Martinez came in.

The hosts had the chance to take the lead midway through the first half when Raphinha was brought down in the area by Jose Manuel Copete and the outcome after a VAR review was a penalty, but Gundogan saw Rajkovic push away his strike from 12 yards.

After Felix put an attempt wide, Barca saw their injury issues increase as Raphinha was forced to come off in the 37th minute, with Fermin Lopez taking his place.

The visitors then brought a save out of Marc-Andre ter Stegen as he dealt with Manu Morlanes’ header, before Rajkovic did well to deny Gundogan and tipped over Lopez’s headed effort.

Rajkovic produced more good work shortly after the break to keep out a deflected Felix shot.

Vedat Muriqi nodded against the Barca crossbar moments later, albeit with the flag going up for offside, and Yamal then saw his shot touched against the woodwork at the other end by Rajkovic just prior to the hour mark.

Xavi introduced Lewandowski and Vitor Roque soon after, and the latter put a header of his own just over the bar in the 69th minute.

Lewandowski then provided the assist as Yamal broke the deadlock in superb fashion, collecting the Poland striker’s pass just outside the box, moving into it and sending a wonderful strike into the top corner.

Yamal then teed up a Lopez effort that was skewed wide late on as Barca claimed the three points.

Xavi believes Barcelona are still in the race for the LaLiga title ahead of their clash with Mallorca on Friday.

The Catalan club sit eight points off league leaders Real Madrid going into the final 11 matches of the campaign.

Boss Xavi admitted his side have not given up on retaining their title.

“I don’t think LaLiga is lost,” Xavi told reporters.

“Tomorrow we have another opportunity to get closer to five points behind Real Madrid and be ahead of Girona. LaLiga is not lost, and we’re not throwing in the towel.”

Pedri will miss the home clash after picking up another injury.

Xavi admitted his squad needs to be rotated to avoid fatigue-related issues.

Barca’s packed schedule also contains a Champions League last 16 second-leg clash against Napoli after a 1-1 draw in the opener.

“We need to consider fatigue and the number of games the players are facing,” he added.

“Tomorrow, we will surely make some changes compared to the last match. We have to think about the players, not because Tuesday is the Champions League.

“We think about fatigue, about the accumulation of minutes, not because Tuesday is an important match, but to think about the players so that all players are available until the end of the season.”

Xavi complimented Friday’s opponents, saying they will come into the game with high morale after they booked their place in the Copa del Rey final against Athletic Bilbao.

He said: “(They are a solid) team that plays well together and is physically strong.

“They’re having a good season and I imagine we’ll be facing a team that will play defensively but whose morale is high. Javier Aguirre works very hard on getting the best out of his teams, I’m an admirer of his.”

Barcelona have confirmed that Frenkie de Jong and Pedri are both “unavailable for selection” due to injury.

Both players picked up injuries in the first half of Barca’s goalless draw with Athletic Bilbao on Sunday night, which leaves the side third in LaLiga.

De Jong went over on his ankle in the 26th minute and the club revealed that the Dutch midfielder has a “lateral ligament sprain”.

Tests also showed that Pedri sustained an injury to the “rectus femoris muscle” in his right thigh after the Spanish midfielder went down with no one else involved towards the end of the first half.

In a statement on Monday, Barcelona confirmed that both players’ “recovery will determine availability”.

It was another frustrating evening for the Catalan club, who were unable to capitalise on second-placed Girona’s defeat to Mallorca and a draw for leaders Real Madrid against Valencia.

The weekend’s results mean Barcelona are one point behind Girona and eight away from Real and manager Xavi admitted after the Bilbao game that his side were “unlucky” following the two first-half injuries.

He told the Barca website post-match: “The two injuries in the first half certainly affected us. We are so unlucky.

“Those are two very important players for our game plan. I imagine we’re going to miss them for several games.

“The team was trying but we generated very little. We didn’t quite have our claws out and never really went for the game.”

Barcelona remain third in LaLiga after being held to a 0-0 draw by Athletic Bilbao at San Mames.

A frustrating evening for Barca included midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Pedri coming off with injuries in the first half.

Xavi’s men are eight points behind leaders Real Madrid, who had drawn 2-2 at Valencia on Saturday.

And they are a point behind second-placed Girona, whose 1-0 loss at Mallorca earlier on Sunday, via a first-half Jose Manuel Copete goal, had offered Barca the chance to climb the table.

Fourth-placed Atletico Madrid beat Real Betis 2-1 at home with a Rui Silva own goal and Alvaro Morata effort putting the hosts in charge before William Carvalho’s reply, and Alexander Sorloth netted a hat-trick as Villarreal thrashed second-bottom Granada 5-1 at El Madrigal.

In Serie A, second-placed Juventus suffered a third defeat in five games as they lost 2-1 at Napoli.

Giacomo Raspadori scored a late winner on the follow-up when Victor Osimhen’s penalty was saved by Wojciech Szczesny, after Federico Chiesa had cancelled out Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s opener.

It leaves Juve 12 points adrift of Inter Milan, who host Genoa on Monday.

Fourth-placed Bologna strengthened their Champions League bid by coming from behind to triumph 2-1 at Atalanta, with Scotland’s Lewis Ferguson netting the winner.

Cagliari moved up a place to 18th with a 1-0 win at Empoli. They are level on points with 17th-placed Hellas Verona, who beat Sassuolo 1-0 at home.

Sunday’s other top-flight game in Italy saw Frosinone and Lecce draw 1-1.

Bayer Leverkusen went 10 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga with a 2-0 win at 10-man Cologne.

After the hosts had Jan Thielmann sent off early on, Jeremie Frimpong and Alejandro Grimaldo scored in each half for Xabi Alonso’s men as they took full advantage of second-placed Bayern Munich being held at Freiburg on Friday.

Maximilian Beier’s first-half brace secured a 2-1 win for Hoffenheim at home against Werder Bremen, the hosts holding out for three points after having Marius Bulter sent off in the 73rd minute and conceding a stoppage-time Skelly Alvero goal.

In Ligue 1, Brest are nine points behind Paris St Germain in second after Pierre Lees-Melou’s first-half effort secured a 1-0 home win over Le Havre, extending their unbeaten run to 13 games.

Toulouse came from behind to win 2-1 at home against fifth-placed Nice, and Lens are up to sixth following a 3-0 win at Lyon.

Lorient moved out of the relegation zone with a 2-1 win at Rennes, Montpellier dropped in having drawn 2-2 at home with Strasbourg and second-bottom Metz won 2-0 at Nantes.

Barcelona suffered a costly evening against Athletic Bilbao as they failed to make ground on leaders Real Madrid after a goalless draw that saw Frenkie de Jong and Pedri pick up injuries.

Defeat for second-placed Girona and Real’s draw at Valencia opened up an opportunity for Barca but they were held to a stalemate at San Mames and sit eight points off top spot.

Worse yet, they lost midfielders De Jong and Pedri in the first half, with the latter unable to hold back the tears as he contemplated the latest in a series of fitness setbacks.

Ernesto Valverde’s side struggled to get time on the ball in the opening stages, with his former club Barcelona enjoying plenty of possession as Joao Cancelo established himself as the liveliest outlet on the park.

Hanging on to the ball did not translate into obvious openings, though, with a pair of set-pieces the closest they came to an early breakthrough.

Andreas Christensen headed over Ilkay Gundogan’s free-kick and Jules Kounde’s ambitious flick off a corner also cleared the crossbar.

For their part, Athletic were feeding on scraps and largely unable to make use of the ball when they made it into the final third. Barca’s flow was disrupted when De Jong went over on his ankle in the 26th minute, clearly unable to shake off the pain as Fermin Lopez took his place.

They almost grabbed an opener out of nowhere shortly after the half-hour when Cancelo tried his luck from long-range after Unai Simon’s punt up-field and caught the keeper out of position. Simon managed to back-track and get a hand on it but still needed Yeray Alvarez to clear up on the line.

With time running down on the first half Pedri went down with nobody else involved, forced out of the match and letting his emotion get the better of him as he returned to the dugout.

Athletic came alive at the start of the second period, captain Inaki Williams twice finding space in behind and twice missing the target as he let loose. Barca defenders Ronald Araujo and Pau Cubarsi were also forced into shutting down promising moves as the tide threatened to turn.

Alex Berenguer had a couple of promising breaks but floundered when it came to an end product while 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, Pedri’s replacement, saw a penalty shout waved away at the other end.

The hosts almost made Barca’s night even worse in added time when Dani Garcia arrived unmarked at the far post from a corner but failed to direct his header on target.

Plans to found a European Super League are "purely about money" and the breakaway competition would cause smaller clubs to disappear if it ever came into being.

That is the view of Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Serhiy Palkin, who believes the vast majority of European clubs are united in their support for UEFA.

The threat of a Super League has never fully gone away despite fierce fan and media opposition causing the competition's attempted 2021 launch to fail in spectacular fashion.

Real Madrid and Barcelona remain committed to the project, and in late 2022, A22 Sports Management was enlisted to oversee its revival, with a plan for a three-tier competition featuring promotion and relegation with no permanent members made public last year. 

Those plans were met with widespread criticism, with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin saying the proposal was "even more closed" than the initial Super League format, given a tier-one founder would be guaranteed three years in the competition regardless of their results. 

Last December, the European Court of Justice ruled UEFA cannot stop breakaway competitions by threatening to sanction clubs, but Palkin feels there is no real desire for change.

"For me, it's difficult to discuss. When this news was issued about A22 winning in court, we had already issued our statement, we are supporting UEFA," he told Stats Perform.

"Almost 90 per cent of clubs did the same statement on their websites. We have a special group on WhatsApp, everybody supports UEFA. I don't understand this Super League. 

"I don't understand what kind of essence they have. I don't understand why we need to change something, when under the umbrella of UEFA, we have very well-structured competitions. 

"If you look from 10 years ago to today, they developed a lot of things in a good way and they are always raising the amount of money that we receive. 

"They are increasing the number of games, they are increasing the number of competitions with the Conference League.

"They involved a lot of clubs. It's not all clubs, but the number of clubs involved in European competitions is increasing significantly. 

"The most important thing for me is the involvement of clubs in European competitions and the financial support of these competitions. All the numbers are just increasing."

Palkin believes only the very richest clubs stand to benefit from the Super League, warning smaller sides might struggle to stay afloat if the plans ever come to fruition. 

"We don't have just 25 clubs in Europe. We need to pay attention to the whole of football. The most important thing is to spread football over the whole of Europe," he added. 

"Otherwise, don't go to stadiums, just switch on the TV and see the top, top clubs playing between each other, and that's it. Then they become much, much richer, and others disappear. 

"For them [smaller clubs], receiving these bonuses from UEFA is critical from a financial point of view. 

"I support football, the game itself, and we need to promote this idea. This Super League, it's not about the game, it's just about money. It's purely about money."

Barcelona boss Xavi insists “nothing has changed” regarding his future following rumours he could reverse his decision to depart the club in the summer.

The former Barca and Spain midfielder, who is preparing for Sunday’s LaLiga game at fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, announced in late January he would leave his role at the end of the season.

Barcelona have picked up form since then, taking 13 points from a possible 15 to boost their faint hopes of overhauling leaders Real Madrid in the title race.

“As of today, nothing has changed,” Xavi told a press conference.

“There is no more story than that. It all remains the same and we focus on the next game.

“It’s true we’ve done well recently; I see the team training great every day and the group of players is less tense than in the past.

“But tomorrow is a whole new story, here at Barcelona you have a challenge every day.

“The moment of the truth this season is coming, and we feel we have been good over the last weeks.”

Third-placed Barcelona thrashed Getafe 4-0 last weekend to build on recent wins over Osasuna, Alaves and Celta Vigo and a 3-3 draw with Granada.

The Catalan club will return to San Mames just over five weeks after suffering a 4-2 extra-time loss to Bilbao in the Copa del Rey quarter-finals.

Xavi is braced for another tough test as his side seek to maintain momentum.

“Athletic is the most intense team in the league,” he said. “And they are confident.

“If we win, it will be a big step forward.

“It’s the perfect game to match them in intensity and rhythm. Against Getafe, we rediscovered our game. Against Athletic, we have to do the same.”

Barcelona remain without injured quartet Marcos Alonso, Alejandro Balde, Gavi and Ferran Torres for the visit to the Basque country.

Xavi also hailed his former team-mate Andres Iniesta during his pre-match press conference.

Iniesta, who scored Spain’s winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final, made the 1,000th senior appearance of his career on Friday, playing for UAE-based side Emirates Club against Ajman.

“Iniesta is the greatest talent I’ve ever seen in Spanish football,” said Xavi. “A thousand games is many.

“I admire him and I love him very much, he is a great friend.”

Barcelona moved up to second in LaLiga after sweeping past Getafe 4-0 at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.

Raphinha opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a fine breakaway goal before Joao Felix, Frenkie de Jong and Fermin Lopez wrapped up a comfortable win, which puts Xavi’s side a point above Girona who play on Monday night.

Getafe created the first real opening when Mason Greenwood cut inside onto his left foot at the edge of the penalty area and sent a low drive goalwards, which was well saved by Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

Barca – who drew 1-1 away to Napoli in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday – took the lead in the 20th minute.

Raphinha ran onto a chipped pass behind the Getafe defence from right-back Jules Kounde and took the ball on into the area before dispatching a low shot into the bottom left corner.

The Brazilian then turned provider as his cross was almost turned in by Ilkay Gundogan, who just could not connect.

Raphinha missed a chance to double Barca’s lead five minutes before half-time when he was sent through on goal again, but this time crashed the ball over with Joao Felix in space for a square pass.

Getafe almost snatched an equaliser ahead of the break when defender Omar Alderete’s long-range strike saw Ter Stegen make an acrobatic catch.

The visitors made a bright start to the second half with Luis Milla seeing his curling shot pushed onto the post by Ter Stegen.

Barca, though, soon scored again in the 53rd minute.

Andreas Christensen was sent clear on the overlap down the right and his cross back through the penalty box was swept in by Felix.

Before Getafe could regroup, Barca had the ball in the net through Robert Lewandowski’s shot on the turn after being played in by Raphinha, but the goal was ruled out for offside.

Barca did get a third in the 61st minute.

De Jong pushed forwards and exchanged passes with Raphinha before drilling the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the penalty area.

With 15 minutes left, Getafe forward Borja Mayoral fired just wide before Barca added a fourth in stoppage time when Lopez tapped into an empty net after Vitor Roque’s effort was saved.

Xavi is not expecting Getafe to sit back at Camp Nou when they face his Barcelona side on Saturday.

Nothing else but three points will do for Barca if they are to keep their flagging La Liga title hopes alive, as they trail their bitter rivals Real Madrid by eight points with 13 games to go.

Xavi, who will leave his position as head coach at the end of the season after a difficult campaign, does not think a win will be easily achieved by his team against a Getafe side who occupy 10th spot.

“Getafe are not a defensive team, they are a brave team,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“They press very high up the pitch and they have picked up points at some tricky away grounds. They always compete and (coach Jose) Bordalas always gets the most out of his players, and that is worthy of praise.

“The points are very important for the battle for the league title. As long as we are mathematically involved, we will fight for it. Each week is a different story. We can’t drop points, less so at home.

“We would go to be in second place in the table (above Girona) and that will put more pressure on Girona and Real Madrid, who play later. We are not throwing in the towel, even though we know that it will be tough.”

Barcelona come into the match after a 1-1 draw away to Napoli in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie on Wednesday.

“We will see how we come into the game, but it is the moment for the best players,” Xavi added.

“We will make some changes but not many, because it is a vital match. It would have been better to play on Sunday or Monday but that is no excuse.”

Barcelona are without Alejandro Balde (hamstring), who is sidelined for the rest of the season, while Marcos Alonso remains unavailable due to lower back pain, which has meant Joao Cancelo being forced to play at left-back.

“He is playing very well both on the left and on the right, his contribution is fantastic,” Xavi said about Cancelo.

“The instructions I give him are because sometimes he plays too high or too low. Also because he is closer to the bench for me (to communicate with). But he is a leader too, we are very happy with him.”

Former Brazil and Barcelona player Dani Alves has been sentenced to four years and six months in prison for sexual assault by a Spanish court.

The 40-year-old former right-back was found guilty of assaulting a woman in a Barcelona nightclub on New Year’s Eve in 2022 and has been in custody since being arrested for the offence in January 2023.

Alves, who must also pay his victim 150,000 euros (£128,000) in compensation and their court costs, has the right to appeal against his sentence.

A statement from the Audiencia de Barcelona on Thursday read: “The Court of Barcelona has condemned footballer Dani Alves to four years and six months in prison for sexual assault.

“The victim must also receive 150,000 euros and have their legal costs paid.

“The sentence takes into consideration that it has been proven the victim did not consent and that there is evidence in addition to their testimony that proves the offence.”

Victor Osimhen rescued Napoli a 1-1 home draw against Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie in his first appearance for the Italian club since December.

Osimhen, who had served a ban in Napoli’s previous game after returning from Africa Cup of Nations duty for runners-up Nigeria, stole clear in the penalty area with 15 minutes remaining to fire home an equaliser.

Barcelona had taken a deserved lead on the hour-mark through Robert Lewandowski’s 93rd Champions League goal.

It was Napoli’s first game since they sacked head coach Walter Mazzarri after three months in charge and replaced him with Slovakian Francesco Calzona.

Porto winger Galeno’s stunning stoppage-time winner clinched his side a 1-0 win against Arsenal in the first leg of their tie.

Arsenal looked set to return to London all-square after a cagey tactical battle at Estadio do Dragao, but Brazilian Galeno crashed home a shot from outside the box in the fourth minute of added time.

The Gunners, bidding to reach the tournament’s last eight for the first time since 2010, created few chances, while Galeno struck a post with a close-range effort in the first half.

Kai Havertz had Arsenal’s best two chances late in the first half, firing off target from six yards before heading Bukayo Saka’s corner just wide.

The two sides will meet in the return leg at the Emirates Stadium on March 12.

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