Bale at Neymar's mercy after Clasico clash

Neymar and Gareth Bale stepped onto the Camp Nou turf for their first taste of a Clasico encounter on Saturday evening, billed as the main supporting cast for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

It turned out to be a frustrating night for the Real Madrid star, however, with Bale slicing a couple of efforts high and wide before being hooked by Carlo Ancelotti on the hour mark.

For Neymar, it was a different story. The Brazilian sensation got his side well on the way to a 2-1 victory with the opening goal of the game, picking up on Andres Iniesta's ball through to slot into the corner of the net.

Sunday, October 27, 2013 11:00

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Messi and Ronaldo’s last chance to stop Ribery's Ballon d’Or pursuit

Saturday's El Clasico has extra significance for both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as the duo look to halt Franck Ribery's pursuit of the Ballon d'Or.

The France international's scintillating form inspired Bayern Munich in their treble-winning campaign last season and so far this term the 30-year-old has picked up where he left off, which makes him a strong contender to scoop Fifa's highest individual accolade ahead of the Barcelona star and the Real Madrid ace.

Will Messi or Ronaldo be able to put in a Ballon d'Or-winning display at Camp Nou?

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Ronaldo, Ibrahimovic & Ribery leave trail of destruction

Wednesday marked another string of scintillating displays in the Champions League, the best of which came from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The Sweden international notched four of Paris Saint-Germain's five goals in a comfortable win over Anderlecht, one of which, a 30-yard thunderbolt, will be a frontrunner for the best strike in the competition this season.

Elsewhere, Franck Ribery netted twice in Bayern Munich's 5-0 rout against Viktoria Plzen, while Cristiano Ronaldo's double fired Real Madrid to a 2-1 victory over Juventus.

Thursday, October 24, 2013 12:00

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Neymar & Co watch Pepe horror show

Neymar is set to make his El Clasico bow as Barcelona host Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Saturday and the Brazilian insists he is suitably prepared for the inevitable threat posed by Pepe.

The 30-year-old has been involved in his fair share of feisty encounters with Barcelona players, the most notable being when he stamped on Lionel Messi's hand in January 2012.

But Neymar claims he is up to speed with the defender's tricks after he received a video of Pepe's antics from the Brazil Football Confederation before his nation's friendly against Portugal in September.

Friday, October 25, 2013 12:00

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Ferguson’s pen mightier than the sword

Former Manchester United players, managers and referees were among those on the receiving end of stinging criticism in Sir Alex Ferguson's newly released autobiography.

The 71-year-old claimed relief swept the dressing room the day Roy Keane left Old Trafford, described Owen Hargreaves as one of the most disappointing signings of his career, and labelled Rafa Benitez a 'silly man' for his infamous 'facts' rant.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013 12:00

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