BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain coach Luis Enrique delivered more than one surprise when he announced his second-to-last squad before the World Cup while pedaling back-country roads around the hills of Madrid on Friday.
A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Monday:
SPAIN
Atlético Madrid will look to rebound from a home loss when it visits Gennaro Gattuso’s Valencia in the Spanish league. Álvaro Morata and João Félix connected well in Atlético’s opening 3-0 win at Getafe, but the forwards struggled last weekend in a 2-0 loss to Villarreal.
MADRID (AP) — Athletic Bilbao signed Ander Herrera from Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday on a loan until the end of the season.
Athletic will have the option to buy the Spanish midfielder for the 2023-24 season.
MADRID (AP) — Iñaki Williams is enjoying yet another season as a starter for Athletic Bilbao.
The only debate about his role in Basque Country is whether he should play more up front as a true striker or out on the wing.
MADRID (AP) — After a disappointing season that followed its first Spanish league title in nearly a decade, Atlético Madrid leads the list of challengers to traditional powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona.
MADRID (AP) — Spain-born Iñaki Williams will play for Ghana's national team.
The Athletic Bilbao forward made the announcement Tuesday through a video posted on his social media accounts.
ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Four months before competing at the World Cup, Ghana's national team added five new recruits who are now eligible to play in Qatar.
MADRID (AP) — Ernesto Valverde is officially back as Athletic Bilbao's coach.
The Spanish club made the announcement on Thursday, five days after new president Jon Uriarte was elected and pledged to bring Valverde back for his third stint as coach.
MADRID (AP) — Sevilla needed a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw at Atlético Madrid to clinch the final Champions League spot in the Spanish league on Sunday.
Barcelona secured second place, and a spot in the lucrative Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, after a 0-0 draw at Getafe, which escaped relegation.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Alexia Putellas scored two goals and set up another to help Barcelona win its third consecutive women's Spanish league title with a 5-0 rout of Real Madrid on Sunday.
The Ballon d’Or winner scored twice before halftime to help lead the Catalan club to its seventh league title.
A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Monday:
ENGLAND
Seventh-place Tottenham hosts relegation-threatened Everton in the Premier League. Tottenham still has its eye on the European spots and goes into the game six points behind Arsenal in fourth.
MADRID (AP) — Valencia prevented Athletic Bilbao from reaching its third straight Copa del Rey final with a 1-0 win in the second leg of the semifinals on Wednesday.
Gonçalo Guedes scored in the first half as Valencia advanced 2-1 on aggregate to reach its second Copa final in four seasons after winning its eighth title in 2019.
A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Wednesday:
ENGLAND
After winning the League Cup on Sunday, Liverpool resumes its bid to capture the FA Cup for an eighth time and stay on course for an unlikely quadruple of trophies.
MADRID (AP) — Valencia may get a much-needed boost for its struggling defense with the return of Spain international José Luis Gayà in the Copa del Rey semifinal against Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.
MADRID (AP) — Things are going Barcelona's way again and, thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, scoring is no longer a problem for the Catalan club.
Aubameyang scored his fifth goal in three matches as Barcelona kept momentum with a reassuring 4-0 win over Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish league on Sunday.
MADRID (AP) — An unfortunate own-goal by goalkeeper Unai Simón ended Athletic Bilbao's unbeaten run as the club fell to a 3-2 loss to Mallorca in the Spanish league on Monday.
Athletic rallied from two goals down in the second half but conceded in the 88th minute when Takefusa Kubo's shot from close range hit the post and bounced off Simón's head before going back into the net.
A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Monday:
SPAIN
Athletic Bilbao tries to move closer to the European qualification places in the Spanish league when it visits relegation-threatened Mallorca.
MADRID (AP) — Trying to make it to its third straight Copa del Rey final, Athletic Bilbao was held to a 1-1 draw at home against Valencia in the first leg of the semifinals on Thursday.
Raúl García opened the scoring for the hosts with a header off a free kick by Iker Muniain in the 37th minute, but Valencia equalized in the 65th with a goal from close range by Hugo Duro off the rebound of a shot by Bryan Gil.
A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Thursday:
ENGLAND
Liverpool will look to trim the deficit to leader Manchester City back down to nine points with a home win over Leicester in the Premier League.
A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Monday:
SPAIN
Athletic Bilbao tries to move closer to the European qualification spots when it hosts Espanyol in the Spanish league. A win will leave Athletic within a point of Basque Country rival Real Sociedad, which sits in sixth and in the final European League place.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Athletic Bilbao is again showing Spain why it claims to be the “king” of the Copa del Rey.
Athletic advanced to the semifinals of the "King's Cup” on Thursday after eliminating Real Madrid 1-0.
MADRID (AP) — It took a goal near the end for Athletic Bilbao to finally get the better of Real Madrid and reach the Copa del Rey semifinals for the third straight season.
Álex Berenguer scored in the 89th minute to give Athletic a 1-0 victory in the quarterfinal at San Mamés Stadium on Thursday, ending a three-match losing streak for the Basque Country team against Madrid.
A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Thursday:
SPAIN
Real Madrid tries to return to the Copa del Rey semifinals when it visits Athletic Bilbao at San Mamés Stadium. Madrid hasn't made it to the last four since the 2018-19 season, when it was eliminated by Barcelona.
MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid will have to wait until the last minute to know if Vinícius Júnior and Karim Benzema will be in condition to play in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals against Athletic Bilbao on Thursday.
MADRID (AP) — Barcelona forward Ansu Fati will follow a conservative recovery plan to treat his left hamstring injury, the club said Tuesday.
Barcelona and the player have opted to avoid surgery and his recovery time should be reduced.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona received more bad news Friday when tests showed that forward Ansu Fati sustained a left hamstring injury.
The teenager had to be replaced in the first half of extra time in Barcelona’s 3-2 loss to Athletic Bilbao in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey on Thursday.
MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid and host Athletic Bilbao will face each other for the fourth time in two months when they meet in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.
Also in Friday's draw for the single-game round, Valencia hosts Cádiz, Real Betis plays at Real Sociedad and host Rayo Vallecano is paired with Mallorca.
MADRID (AP) — Barcelona's list of disappointments this season got longer Thursday with a loss to Athletic Bilbao in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey.
Barcelona lost 3-2 in extra time to add to recent failures in the Spanish Super Cup and the Champions League.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona wants to move France winger Ousmane Dembélé before the close of the winter transfer window, a top club official said on Thursday.
Barcelona soccer director Mateu Alemany said the club told Dembélé he needs to find a new club after having refused to agree to a new deal.
A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Thursday:
ENGLAND
Arsenal hosts Liverpool in the second leg of the League Cup semifinals with the teams locked at 0-0 after last week's first leg at Anfield.
MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid won't be going a second consecutive season without a title.
After failing to lift a trophy under Zinedine Zidane last season, Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid secured the Spanish Super Cup with a 2-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday in Saudi Arabia.
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Facing criticism from human rights groups, the president of Spain’s soccer federation defended the return of the Spanish Super Cup to Saudi Arabia as Real Madrid prepared to play Athletic Bilbao in Sunday's final.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — After scoring the most important goal of his young career, Nico Williams received a long hug from veteran forward Iñaki Williams, his older brother.
In the stands at the King Fahd Stadium in Saudi Arabia, his relatives also embraced each other, unable to hold back tears.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Barcelona put on a good fight as an underdog, but in the end it was Real Madrid celebrating again after a thrilling “clásico” between the Spanish powerhouses in Saudi Arabia.
A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Thursday:
ITALY
The Italian league resumes after a two-week winter break with Juventus hosting Napoli in the marquee match amid a full slate of games.