Like Xavi, Almeria coach Garitano refrained himself from dissecting the refereeing decisions.

After Real Madrid scraped a controversial 3-2 win over bottom side Almeria and a treble by Ferran Torres helped Barca win 4-2 at Real Betis, Girona demonstrated their title credentials

Luis Suarez made a subdued debut alongside former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi as Inter Miami kicked off their pre-season tour Friday with a 0-0 draw against El Salvador.

Defeat snapped Madrid's 21-match unbeaten run.

Under-pressure Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez said on Wednesday he would resign if his squad no longer believed in him following last weekend's heavy Spanish Super Cup final loss to Real Madrid.

Vinicius Junior struck a first-half hat-trick to fire Real Madrid to Spanish Super Cup glory in a thumping 4-1 win over rivals Barcelona on Sunday in Saudi Arabia.

"He is out and his recovery will determine his availability."

The Catalans beat Real Madrid in last year's final and will face their bitter rivals again Sunday after Los Blancos beat Atletico Madrid in an eight-goal thriller in the first semi-final in Saudi Arabia.

"It's a positive result, our play was positive in many moments, and we're in the last 16," Barca coach Xavi told Movistar.

Barcelona defender Joao Cancelo will be out for a period of time due to a knee injury he sustained during their win against Las Palmas in LaLiga, the club said on Friday.

Ilkay Gundogan stroked home a stoppage time penalty to grab champions Barcelona a barely deserved 2-1 win at Las Palmas on Thursday.

Barcelona forked out fees in excess of 100 million euros ($109.24 million) for Philippe Coutinho, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele between 2017-19, but the club's financial issues mean they are unlikely to splurge on big new signings anytime soon.

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez called on his team to improve defensively in 2024 after a shaky start to the season.

Who would win LaLiga 2023-24?

Xavi Hernandez's side ended 2023 with a win thanks to Sergi Roberto's double and a first-half goal from Raphinha.

La Liga champions Barcelona dropped more points in the Spanish title race in a tense 1-1 draw at Valencia on Saturday.

Lionel Messi has been named Time magazine's "Athlete of the Year" for 2023 after a trailblazing season marked by an eighth Ballon d'Or award and his ground-breaking move to Major League Soccer's Inter Miami.

Barca reached an agreement to sign Roque from Athletico in July for a reported 40 million euros plus 21 million in add-ons

Barcelona coach Xavi Hernandez called on Joao Felix to use criticism from his former Atletico Madrid team-mates to motivate him when the teams meet on Sunday in La Liga.

A revamped calendar with a single international break could resolve the travel time and injury issues faced by many players, Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez said on Friday.