Much of the coverage of Barcelona’s 2-1 defeat to Sevilla in La Liga on Saturday afternoon focused on the disruption caused by injuries to stars Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta. But blaugrana fans and pundits should really be asking why last season’s treble-winning squad looks so threadbare just a few months later.

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone insists Thibaut Courtois has the same single-minded focus as his team-mates as the Belgium goalkeeper prepares to face his parent club Chelsea in tonight’s Champions League semi-final first leg at the Vicente Calderon Stadium.

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini is convinced he has the firepower to combat Barcelona.

Man City 2 Chelsea 0

HEINEKEN CUP POOL SIX:

This week marks the 40th anniversary of Johan Cruyff’s debut at Barcelona, last week Real Madrid celebrated Francisco Gento’s 80th birthday.

Perpignan 31 Edinburgh 14

Neymar scored his first goal for Barcelona as the Catalans came from behind to salvage a draw in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup at the Vicente Calderon.

New Barcelona coach Gerardo ’Tata’ Martino is certain Cesc Fabregas will be part of his team next season, despite repeated interest from Manchester United.

Liverpool’s summer recruitment continues to gather momentum with Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet expected to have a medical next week.

The Voice of Ireland final and The Big House with Bryan Murray are among the highlights.

Bayern Munich coach Jupp Heynckes has not sought any advice from former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola ahead of his side’s Champions League semi-final tie against the Catalans tonight.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has confirmed Phil Jones has lost his battle to be fit for tomorrow night’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid.

Tony Watt declared he had so much more to fulfil in his career than his crucial strike against Barcelona after signing a long-term contract with Celtic.

Celtic 2 Barcelona 1

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink believes Celtic need good fortune and bad weather to beat Barcelona in Glasgow tomorrow night.

New Barcelona manager Tito Vilanova is still coming to terms with life without Pep Guardiola but is warming to the reality of leading the Catalans this season.

Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola feels his side could have done nothing more to overcome Chelsea and reach the Champions League final.

Conspiracy theorists suspect the Champions League draw is arranged in consultation with UEFA’s marketing department.

Santi Cazorla’s stunning stoppage-time free-kick gave Malaga a deserved point to halt Real Madrid’s 11-match winning run in the Primera Division last night.

Perpignan will provide an exit route for Munster inside centre Lifeimi Mafi following the Irish province’s signing yesterday of James Downey from Northampton Saints.

PICK OF THE DAY

MICHAEL CARRICK looked to the line. Then he did so again. And again. There were 20 minutes gone in the 2009 Champions League and the Manchester United midfielder must have glanced at his manager’s bench at least 30 times. What he sought was instruction. But all he saw was Alex Ferguson sitting motionless and stony-faced.

PEP GUARDIOLA has urged his Barcelona side to complete a Champions League final victory over Manchester United that would never be forgotten.

Patrice Evra is refusing to contemplate a third Champions League final defeat.

BARCELONA manager Pep Guardiola has warned his side will be punished if they go into their clash with Manchester United over confident.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola expects to face a very different Manchester United side to the one they beat in the 2009 Champions League final as the two teams look set to meet in European football’s showpiece at Wembley later this month.

THE old adage that you never win anything with kids, demolished so spectacularly by Manchester United in the past, was decimated again during Arsenal’s victory over Barcelona.

WE know all about coals to Newcastle but how about ‘B’s’ to Braga and duds to Donetsk?

Perpignan 24 Leicester 19

WHAT a week of snarling, no-holds barred, edge of the seat, competitive drama – and, no, I’m not talking about the Irish senior side taking on Paul Doolin’s Irish U23s.

MANUEL ALMUNIA insists Arsenal will not be concerned about the hot reception which awaits them at White Hart Lane next week when they look to stay in the Premier League title race after being handed a footballing lesson by a Lionel Messi-inspired Barcelona in the Nou Camp.

PERHAPS it’s just as well that only a third of Sunday’s likely starting line-up were in the Munster team that lost 23-8 to Perpignan in the Heineken Cup in 2003.

PERPIGNAN’S young flanker Yohan Vivalda has begun the verbal battle ahead of Sunday’s crunch Heineken Cup Pool 1 rematch with Munster at Stade Aimé Giral by comparing Friday’s performance of the two-time European champions to an “academy team”.

MANCHESTER UNITED winger Cristiano Ronaldo insists he will remain at Old Trafford next season.

Barcelona coach Josep Guardiola wants to see his players dominate a “physical” Chelsea side when they meet in tonight’s Champions League semi-final, first leg at the Nou Camp.

Manchester United 1 Espanyol 0

I DON’T want charity, if I play in any final, I want it to be on merit, not sentiment” — Paul Scholes, earlier this month, responding to Alex Ferguson’s insistence that, should Manchester United reach Moscow for the Champions League final on May 21, the ageing midfielder would be the first name on his team-sheet.

FORMER Manchester United captain Bryan Robson believes the current crop of players at Old Trafford are the equal of their 1999 treble-winning counterparts.

LONDON IRISH boss Brian Smith vowed his men will fight fire with fire in today’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against fierce and physical rivals Perpignan.

A GOAL-SCORING cameo from defender Carles Puyol put Barcelona on their way to their second Champions League victory of the season to inflict Stuttgart’s second defeat.

Hearts 1 Barcelona 3

THIERRY HENRY insists he will never badmouth anyone at Arsenal and even admits he has been missing Tottenham since moving to Barcelona.