Lionel Messi is set to make his 100th Champions League appearance when Barcelona launch their title defence at Roma in a sold-out Stadio Olimpico in tonight’s Group E opener.

La Liga is returning, a little later than first expected, with plenty of new and old questions to be resolved.

Last Monday afternoon, Sergio Ramos was spotted getting into his gleaming white Mercedes AMG GT coupe on a Madrid street by reporters from local sports paper Marca.

Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri will not stand in Paul Pogba’s way if the French midfielder decides to leave the Turin giants this summer.

Tonight’s Champions League final is a stage for extravagant attacking talents — but for this netminder, the real storyline is between the posts for the Old Lady of Turin, writes Dónal Óg Cusack.

Real Madrid 1 Juventus 1 (Agg 2-3): Alvaro Morata was again the hero as a 1-1 draw at Real Madrid in last night’s Champions League semi-final second leg at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu sent Juventus through to the competition’s final.

Not for the first time in his almost two seasons at Real Madrid, Gareth Bale goes into tonight’s Champions League semi-final second leg with debate raging over his talents.

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has called on his team to make history in tonight’s Champions League semi-final second leg at home to Juventus at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Barcelona’s 2-0 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday saw the Catalan side take a huge step towards claiming the La Liga title with a seventh consecutive clean sheet another cause of celebration.

The Old Lady of Italian football — not to mention one or two of its old men — is long overdue a European trophy; and after Carlos Tevez inspired Juventus to a 2-1 Champions League semi-final first leg victory over Real Madrid there is a growing feeling that this could finally be their year.

REAL MADRID 1 ATLETICO MADRID 0: Holders Real Madrid reached for the Champions League last four by beating neighbours Atletico Madrid 1-0 in last night’s super tense quarter-final second leg at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Spain’s 1-0 Euro 2016 qualifier win at home to Ukraine did little to suggest the once all-conquering La Roja side have got over losing their unbeatable aura at last year’s World Cup.

Barcelona 2 Real Madrid 1

Real Madrid 3 Schalke 4 (Real Madrid win 5-4 on aggregate)

Schalke 0 Real Madrid 2: Cristiano Ronaldo returned to goal scoring form and Marcelo was also on target as holders Real Madrid opened their Champions League last-16 tie with a 2-0 win at Schalke.

Atletico Madrid were in dreamland as they destroyed rivals Real Madrid with a thumping 4-0 win which blew the Primera Division title race wide open.

Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off for lashing out but Gareth Bale scored a late penalty to give a ragged Real Madrid side all three points from a 2-1 win at Cordoba.

International Friendly

Champions League Group B

Real Madrid overcame Neymar’s early opening goal to see off arch rivals Barcelona 3-1 at the Bernabeu as Luis Suarez made his long-awaited debut for Barca.

Spain were

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Miroslav Stoch headed a dramatic late winner as Slovakia claimed a shock 2-1 victory over champions Spain in their Euro 2016 qualifier in Zilina.

Iker Casillas has admitted he considered leaving Real Madrid and believes Arsenal were interested in securing his services before he decided to stay and fight for his place.

Saturday began with the Spanish press full of tributes to Real Madrid club captain Iker Casillas on completing 15 years as a first-team player at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu — with over 700 games for the club, and an enviable trophy haul including three Champions Leagues, five La Liga titles and two Copas del Rey.

Spain 5 Macedonia 1

Real Madrid 2 Sevilla 0

Iker Casillas is unimpressed with Keylor Navas’ enthusiastic training regime.

Real Madrid are set to sign Costa Rica’s World Cup hero Keylor Navas after paying the goalkeeper’s release clause, according to reports in Spain.

A is for Asian angst

Four years ago in Soccer City, as the World Cup final between Spain and Holland ebbed towards a shoot-out, there was concern on the Spanish bench.

Spain’s previously all-conquering players have not reacted well to their shock early exit from this summer’s World Cup.

Much like Donal Óg, Iker Casillas has been at the summit of the goalkeeping fraternity for over a decade; producing awe-inspiring saves from impossible angles, at crucial times.

RTÉ’S RATING WAR MASKS THE REAL ONE

Spain must trust in their philosophy but trust their youth to enact it

WORLD CUP GROUP B:

Spain 0 Chile 2

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque could make wholesale changes for this evening’s make-or-break World Cup Group B game against Chile in Rio.

Spain defender Sergio Ramos has implored his team-mates to show all their champion qualities after a harrowing start to their World Cup defence.

WORLD CUP GROUP B:

They pile up, inspiring us, enthralling us, exhausting us; those sublime sporting moments of ecstasy and vindication.

Spain 1 Netherlands 5

WORLD CUP GROUP B:

There are a couple of things more certain than death and taxes, writes Donal Óg Cusack .

The Real Madrid supporting press in the Spanish capital were unsurprisingly euphoric yesterday morning, as Blancos fans were reassured that it had not all been a dream – the night before their side really had finally secured the long-awaited tenth European Cup by beating city neighbours Atletico Madrid 4-1 after extra-time.