Barcelona state their case, Juventus stretch lead
Sunday, January 11, 2015
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FC Barcelona won the big game in Spain, beating Club Atlético de Madrid 3-1 on a weekend when Juventus and Chelsea FC took a firmer grip on their respective leagues.
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FC Barcelona resumed their Liga duties with all three points in a much-anticipated tussle with fellow UEFA Champions League rivals Club Atlético de Madrid, winning 3-1 to keep the pressure on a Real Madrid CF side who also triumphed. The likes of Juventus and Chelsea FC also had much to celebrate as they restated their leadership credentials, while Paris Saint-Germain slipped to a surprise defeat at SC Bastia.
• Paris surrendered a 2-0 lead to lose 4-2 at Bastia, who started the weekend second from bottom of Ligue 1.
• José Mourinho's Chelsea moved two points clear at the top of the Premier League courtesy of a 2-0 home win against Newcastle United FC.
Paris v Chelsea: 17 February & 11 March
• FC Shakhtar Donetsk travelled to Brazil on Thursday ahead of winter friendlies against EC Bahia, CR Flamengo, CA Mineiro, SC Internacional and Cruzeiro EC.
• FC Bayern München flew to Qatar on Friday for a nine-day training camp before a return to action against VfL Wolfsburg on 30 January.
Shakhtar v Bayern: 17 February & 11 March
• FC Schalke 04 are in Doha as part of their winter break. They lost 2-0 against AFC Ajax on Saturday and will also take on Sudanese club Al-Merrikh SC on 15 January.
• Normal service was restored for Liga leaders Real Madrid, who bounced back from two straight defeats with a 3-0 success against RCD Espanyol.
Schalke v Real Madrid: 18 February & 10 March
• FC Basel 1893 journeyed to Spain for training on Sunday after a 9-0 victory in a friendly against French lower-league side FC Hégenheim 1911 on Saturday.
• Jackson Martínez, Óliver Torres and Evandro were on target as FC Porto eased to a 3-0 defeat of CF Os Belenenses. The Dragons stay second, six points off Portuguese Liga leaders SL Benfica.
Basel v Porto: 18 February & 10 March
• Manchester City FC dropped two points off Chelsea at the Premier League summit after being held 1-1 at Everton FC, despite Fernandinho's 74th-minute opener.
• Barcelona closed within a point of Madrid, having played one game more, as Neymar, Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi all registered in an eye-catching 3-1 win against Atlético.
Manchester City v Barcelona: 24 February & 18 March
• Juventus surged three points clear at the top of Serie A courtesy of a 3-1 victory at SSC Napoli, Martín Cáceres and Arturo Vidal finding the net after Paul Pogba's opener had been cancelled out.
• Borussia Dortmund travelled to La Manga on Saturday to enjoy a week's training preparation for their 31 January return against Bayer 04 Leverkusen.
Juventus v Dortmund: 24 February & 18 March
• Leverkusen flew to Florida on Friday for a winter training camp where they will play friendlies against Fluminense FC and SC Corinthians Paulista.
• Atlético slipped four points off the Liga pace on Sunday following a 3-1 defeat at Barcelona that left them third overall in the standings.
Leverkusen v Atlético: 25 February & 17 March
• Arsenal FC avenged last month's loss at Stoke City FC by beating Mark Hughes's team 3-0, Alexis Sánchez scoring twice and setting up the opener for Laurent Koscielny.
• AS Monaco FC could only muster a goalless draw against FC Girondins de Bordeaux that kept them a point ahead of their opponents in fifth spot.
Arsenal v Monaco: 25 February & 17 March