Tonight’s clash of the heavyweights at Camp Nou is set up to be a classic.

The hosts managed to shut out Messi and give themselves hope for the return

AC Milan 0 Barcelona 0

Ivory Coast set up a final showdown with Zambia after Gervinho’s solo goal saw them past Mali in Libreville last night.

Ghana made certain of their progress into the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations where they will face Tunisia as they held Guinea to a 1-1 draw, a result that also sent Mali through as Group D runners-up.

JOHN MENSAH scored, then saw red as 10-man Ghana held on to beat Botswana in their African Nations Cup Group D opener.

IT was derby day in Barcelona on Sunday just as it was in Manchester.

BARCELONA striker David Villa faces a major battle to prove his fitness for Spain’s Euro 2012 squad as the club confirmed he will be sidelined for between “four and five months” after breaking his shinbone in yesterday’s 4-0 Club World Cup semi-final victory over Al-Sadd.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola confirmed David Villa would be sidelined for a “long time” after the Spain striker broke his shinbone in today’s 4-0 Club World Cup semi-final victory over Al-Sadd.

AC Milan 2 Barcelona 3

BARCELONA may be called Europe’s finest side, but Manchester United won’t travel to Wembley without hope tomorrow.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was determined to savour the moment after his side claimed a third successive Primera Division title last night.

BARCELONA eased to their third successive La Liga title with a low-key draw away to Levante last night to retain their crown with two games to spare.

Levante 1 Barcelona 1

IN an ugly encounter, Lionel Messi provided a timely reminder of why this four-game sequence between Barcelona and Real Madrid has received such sensational pre-match billing.

Barcelona defender Dani Alves protested his innocence over the late penalty decision which allowed 10-man Real Madrid to salvage a draw from last night’s clash at the Bernabeu.

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has warned “this isn’t over” despite seeing his side build a 5-1 first leg lead in their Champions League quarter-final tie against Shakhtar Donetsk.

BARCELONA all but secured their spot in the Champions League semi-finals and a probable showdown with arch-rivals Real Madrid after building a huge first-leg lead over Shakhtar Donetsk.

Barcelona 5 Shakhtar Donetsk 1

Real Mallorca 0 Barcelona 3

Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola wants his side to show more killer instinct in front of goal after seeing them leave it late before securing the three points against Athletic Bilbao.

Javier Mascherano has described his move from Liverpool to Barcelona as “the opportunity of a lifetime”.

Sevilla striker Luis Fabiano insists he will be staying at the Andalusian club, despite continued talk of a possible move to either Italy or England this summer.

“THE Translator” returned to the Nou Camp last night, inflicting a staggering 3-2 aggregate defeat upon Barcelona after playing with only 10 men for over an hour and generating simmering controversy before bringing Inter Milan to the brink of their first European crown since 1965.

BARCELONA captain Carles Puyol admits his side could be in for a bad night if they underestimate the threat posed by in-form Stuttgart in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie tonight.

ATLETICO MADRID are known as ‘Los Colchoneros’ — mattress makers — because of their red-and-white striped shirts, but there have been times when their supporters believed it was because they provided a comfortable rest for the opposition.

Barcelona have suffered another blow with the news that key midfielder Xavi will be sidelined for around two weeks through injury.

Angola and Algeria both advanced to the quarter-finals of the African Nations Cup thanks to a goalless draw in Luanda, with Mali crashing out despite picking up their first win of the competition.

HOLDERS Barcelona moved two points clear at the top of their Champions League group last night after producing a classy display to defeat erstwhile leaders Inter Milan at the Nou Camp.

Inter Milan 0 Barcelona 0

A BALL hasn’t even been kicked yet and, already, we are in danger of exhausting the superlatives.

Barcelona forward Thierry Henry was not in the squad to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final.

Barcelona midfielder Seydou Keita has stressed the importance of not conceding a goal in their Champions League semi-final first leg against Chelsea at the Nou Camp.

Bayern Munich 1 Barcelona 1

Barcelona 4 Bayern Munich 0

FORGOTTEN striker Bojan Krkic scored his first league goals of the season as Barcelona restored their six-point advantage over Real Madrid at the top of the Spanish Primera Liga with a 2-0 win at Almeria last night.

BARCELONA booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a dominant display against Lyon last night.

LYON coach Claude Puel is confident his side can upset the odds and knock Barcelona out of the Champions League tonight.

JOSE MOURINHO tightened his grip on Serie A and claimed bragging rights in his personal duel with Claudio Ranieri after Inter defeated Juventus 1-0 on Saturday.

Barcelona have confirmed the signing of midfielder Alexander Hleb from Arsenal on a four-year contract.

Alexander Hleb admits he will fulfil a dream if he completes his switch from Arsenal to Barcelona.

Andrei Arshavin’s “dream” of playing for Barcelona appears to have come a step closer to being realised on Thursday after Barcelona economic vice president Ferran Soriano and coach Pep Guardiola admitted their admiration for the Russian forward.

Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Brazilian right-back Daniel Alves from La Liga rivals Sevilla, according to reports in Spain.

Barcelona have agreed terms with Manchester United to sign defender Gerard Pique on a four-year deal.