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Barça are looking to keep up the good work and consolidate top spot in the Spanish League in their game against Villareal this Saturday evening (20:00 CET). FC Barcelona could become the first club to ever lead la Liga for 54 consecutive weeks. Barça seem to have corrected their errors in Amsterdam and Bilbao with convincing wins against Cartagena in the Copa del Rey and Celtic in the Champions League, playing precisely the kind of football that has already brought the club one trophy this season, the Supercup, and put them in top spot in both the domestic championship and their Champions League group. However, following the setback at San Mamés, Barça’s lead has been cut down to mere goal difference, and an exciting weekend of football awaits.

Barça have secured top spot in the Champions League H group thanks to goals from Piqué, Pedro, Neymar (3) and Tello. The Brazilian was the hero of the night with an awe-inspiring display. Barça only needed a point to clinch top place in their group, but did much more than against a Celtic side that was only playing for pride but was instead played off the park by an intense, ambitious display from the Catalans. After going into an early 1-0 lead and with the win already as good as settled by half-time, Barça were able to play for the crowd and regain some lost confidence, with hat-trick hero Neymar on stunning form.

Barça need one point against Celtic to secure the top spot of its Champions League H group in this Wednesday evening’s game at the Camp Nou (20.45 CET). The Catalans would end on the group’s top also if Milan draw or lose against Ajax at the San Siro. These are the current standings after Barça’s defeat to Ajax two weeks ago: Barça 10 points, Milan 8, Ajax 7 and Celtic 3. Another feat Barça hope to accomplish this evening is scoring the team’s 1,000th goal in international competitions. So far they’ve scored 999 goals, 487 of which have been scored in the current format of the Champions League. Messi, Valdés, Alves, Dos Santos and Afellay are injured but Tello, Xavi, and Iniesta have been declared fit for the match.

FC Barcelona’s star Leo Messi has again received recognition as one of the very best! The Argentinean has been selected as one of the three final candidates for FIFA's 2013 Ballon D'Or award, together with Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich) and Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid). Messi has won the award for the last four years. The 2013 winner will be announced in Zurich on January 13.

Despite Cartagena's shock opener, goals from Pedro (2), Cesc and Dongou put Barça in clear command of their Copa del Rey tie. FC Barcelona have got their Spanish Cup campaign off to a fine start. The many positives to take from this game included Jean Marie Dongou not only making his debut but also scoring his first goal for the first team, and Jordi Alba returning from injury to play 80 untroubled minutes.

Gerardo Martino's side open their Spanish Cup campaign on Friday evening. Barça travel to third tier Cartagena without Piqué, Xavi and Iniesta, whilst Carles Puyol and Jordi Alba return. The latter could return after being out since September. Although Cartegena are on paper the underdogs, Barça will be aware that any slip up could cost them dear and the boss himself insisted yesterday: “it's a very important game” and coming on the back of defeats in Amsterdam and Bilbao, the team need to get back to winning ways.

A 70^th minute goal from Muniain condemns Barça to their first defeat of the current Spanish League season. Four days after going down to Ajax in the Champions League, Gerardo Martino got another taste of defeat as a solitary goal from Iker Muniain split the sides in the 70^th minute of a game that could have panned out very differently had Barça made better use of their several chances in the first half hour. Despite the defeat, FC Barcelona stay top of the league table, although now only on goal difference.

Barça lose 2-1 to Ajax after an unbeaten run of twenty-eight matches. It was Ajax who inflicted the first defeat on Gerardo Martino since he has been on the Barça bench. The Dutchmen went 2-0 up in the first half, but a red card for Veltman and a converted penalty for Xavi could have changed the match at the start of the second. But despite pressing hard for an equaliser, luck was not on FC Barcelona’s side on Tuesday evening at the Amsterdam Arena and it all ended 2-1. The Catalans will need at least a point against Celtic to ensure they top the group.

A draw in FC Barcelona’s first ever official visit to the Amsterdam Arena (20.45 CET) would be enough to secure the first place in the Champions League Group H. With qualification already secured, the Catalans need at least a draw to guarantee being seeded and playing the second leg at home in the first round of the knockout stages. Barça are missing several players, even though Xavi returns, with youngsters Adama, Dongou, Sergi Gómez and Patric all travelling to Holland. Ajax faces an essential game, as it needs to win in order to keep its options for making it into the last sixteen open.

Nothing can stop Barça in the Spanish League. FC Barcelona overcome their injury woes to beat Granada with goals from Andrés Iniesta (pen), Cesc Fàbregas (pen), Alexis Sánchez and Pedro. In the 81^st minute, Adama Traoré came on to make his first team debut replacing Neymar.The return from the international break could not have been more perfect. Four different players scored, Pinto kept a clean sheet,and none of Valdés, Alves, Xavi or Messi were particularly missed, with the latter showing off his Golden Boot before the match.

“The absence of players is always unfortunate, and now we’re missing the best goalkeeper in the world” said Martino referring to Leo Messi, but also to Víctor Valdés, Dani Alves, Xavi, Jordi Alba, Tello, Dos Santos and Afellay. Cesc Fàbregas and Piqué have been declared fit this Friday. Alves is the most recent injured player and will be out for some 10 days. Martino has called up Dongou Tsafack and Adama Traoré due to the long list of absentees. “Neymar’s response has been superb right from the start. He’s also shown that he has the capacity to withstand the pressure” Martino said in a press conference held on Friday before Saturday’s game against Granada. “We shouldn’t be thinking about the missing players, but in those who are taking their places”, he concluded.

"My goal is to return and return fit", emphasised FC Barcelona super star at the Golden Boot ceremony held in the Catalan capital, referring to his injury period. The Argentinean striker, very pleased after receiving his third Golden Boot and for the evolution of his recovery: “I’m improving gradually, and now almost without pain”. "It's a very nice group award, because I could not have won it on my own", he stated. His dedication was similar to ones for the other major individual trophies: "It’s for my family, the people who love me, and the squad". Among those attending was President Rosell who saw Messi "in good shape".

The FC Barcelona keeper sustained a proximal myotendinous rupture in the calf muscle of his right leg during last night's friendly between Spain and South Africa. Valdés will be out of action for approximately six weeks. picked up the injury last night during the international friendly between Spain and South Africa in Johannesburg. The keeper came on for Iker Casillas in the second half, but he was forced to abandon the pitch on the 80^th minute due to his injury. Reina came on in Valdés’ stead.

Leo Messi, FC Barcelona’s Argentinean star, has a muscle tear in his left hamstring. The Catalan club’s medical services confirmed after tests this Monday morning that Messi has a torn hamstring muscle in his left thigh and is expected to miss the next 6 to 8 weeks.  The first phase of Messi’s recovery will be covered in Barcelona and he will then travel to Buenos Aires. The Argentinean was substituted on 19 minutes of the Betis- Barça game on Sunday for a muscle pain. This is Messi’s third injury this season. In late August he was out for 1 week and in late September he got injured again and was out for 3 weeks.

Neymar, Pedro and Cesc (2) score to put Barça three points ahead of Atletico Madrid at the top of the Spanish League table with a 1-4 win at Betis’ Benito Villamarín on Sunday evening. This wasn’t as straightforward a win for Barça as the score might suggest though, with a brave Betis side never giving up and the worrying sight of Leo Messi limping off in the first half. It was Betis who created the chances early on, with the excellent Victor Valdés saving the day with two great stops from Jorge Molina and Juan Carlos, as FC Barcelona struggled to deal with the loss of Messi  - replaced by Iniesta on 20 minutes.