FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona

We've seen an excellent game. When you see two teams who don't kick each other, who go out to play and to do damage with the ball, you get a really good spectacle. [Barcelona] were better until their goal. We recovered well. We were better in the second half. We played really well. It was difficult at first. Barcelona have a lot of quality. We made mistakes in the first 20 minutes. We were better after the break, we deserved it. It's a big win. It's always hard playing against Barça. It's an important win for confidence. Last year, we struggled in the league phase.

Luis Figo will make a surprise - and potentially provocative - return to Barcelona tonight after being named UEFA ambassador for their Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain. Figo remains a figure of hate among the Barca fanbase for his decision to swap Camp Nou for Real Madrid in 2000 - a seismic transfer that rocked the world of football, even leading to a Netflix documentary.

Deco has a truly luxurious deal on the table in Munich: a two-for-one deal with Harry Kane and Dayot Upamecano as the main players. Two profiles that fit the Blaugrana's needs and could be within reach next summer. Harry Kane, on the agendaThe English striker remains one of the most sought-after names on the European scene. At 32, he maintains an enviable goal-scoring ability and his form has not suffered in the Bundesliga or the Champions League.

Barcelona star Lamine Yamal could reportedly have been prized away by another of European football's heavyweights when he was aged 14, only for the agent Jorge Mendes to intervene and block the move. Despite only turning 18 in the summer, Yamal has already made over 100 appearances in Barcelona's first team, scoring 27 times. Yamal has earned two LaLiga titles with the Catalan giants and was a key part of Spain's European Championship winning side in 2024.

Arsenal and Barcelona keen on Luiz Benedetti Sources close to the player's situation have informed CaughtOffside that Arsenal have been monitoring Benedetti for a long time and are expected to make an official move in January. However, the English side is not alone in the race. Barcelona have also shown interest, viewing Benedetti as a strategic option to reinforce their backline with a promising young talent. Barcelona's search for a ball-playing centre-back highlights Benedetti's profile.

The 2005/06 season was one to remember for Barcelona. Not only did they lift a historic treble La Liga, the Supercopa de Espana and the Champions League it also marked Lionel Messi's real breakthrough, with eight goals across all competitions as he began inheriting the torch from Ronaldinho. And, of course, the campaign was defined by their iconic Total 90 home shirt, doing it all in unmistakable style.

However, the deal is complicated because Barça would first need to secure the departure of a big-name player. In this regard, ESPN reported on Tuesday that Chelsea have made an approach to gauge the availability of Fermín López, while Barça are also open to listening to offers for Marc Casadó, Ronald Araújo and Andreas Christensen in an attempt to comply with LaLiga's financial fair play rules.

"I believe that the external pressure led to the changes in the deal because in Germany, I think that the clubs are pretty exposed to criticism from the fan base. Fan bases in Germany are quite traditional and not open to commercial deals."