Barca lose Puyol

Barcelona will be without captain Carles Puyol for up to 10 days after he suffered a groin injury while playing for Catalonia.

The injury flared during the regional side's friendly match against Honduras on Tuesday and will keep him on the sidelines 'for the next seven to 10 days', according to the Barcelona website.

Returning to training for the first time since the Christmas break, Puyol was noticeably absent with what the club describes as 'a strain that will see him sidelined for over a week', which would see him miss La Liga games against Levante and Deportivo La Coruna and the Copa del Rey clash against Athletic Bilbao.

In better news, new signing Ibrahim Afellay trained for the first time with his new team-mates following his move from PSV Eindhoven.

Bojan eyes Barca place

Barcelona striker Bojan says he is determined to prove he can become a first-team regular at the La Liga giants.

The youngster, unsurprisingly, has failed to displace the likes of David Villa and Lionel Messi and has been restricted largely to a bit-part role this season.

Bojan, who scored twice for Catalonia in the territory's 4-0 win over Honduras on Tuesday, said on Wednesday he is prepared to be patient.

The 20-year-old has made 13 La Liga appearances this season - 10 of them as a substitute - and scored three goals.

Of Serbian descent but having represented Spain at international level, the striker also talked about the arrival of new midfielder Ibrahim Afellay from PSV.

"The game yesterday (with Catalonia) was one in which I knew that I was going to play, that I was going out there to enjoy myself and was unlike a game with Barcelona," he said.

"I've started games, so that's a lot of minutes. It's true that when I feel at ease and am enjoying myself, I play a lot better."

" Here you talk about the best players in the world, in a historic moment, so it's difficult to improve. I want to show that I should be here, and the day that I am unable to play at first team level with Barcelona, then I would leave. But until then, I've always said that there is more to come and that I want to stay at Barcelona."

"I was in the dressing room and met Afellay. We still don't understand each other, because I don't speak English nor French. If he's been signed now, then it is because he is a good player and can give the manager what he wants. Any player is welcome here."

Barca sign Dutch star Afellay

Holland international Ibrahim Afellay has spoken of his delight after joining Spanish giants Barcelona on a four-and-half-year deal.

Afellay's move from PSV Eindhoven was made official on Friday when the 24-year-old put his name to a three-million-euro deal at the Camp Nou.

A statement on Barca's official website noted the Dutch international, who has been capped 29 times for his country, has also had a 100-million-euro buyout clause inserted into his contract.

As part of the transfer arrangement, Barca have agreed to play PSV in 2013 in recognition of the Dutch club's centenary year.

Afellay fronted the media following his signing, gushing that it was a dream come true to wear the shirt of the Catalan club.

"I'll wear the Barca colours with pride and respect. Barca is more than a club," Afellay said.

"When I was a kid, I wanted to play for Barca - it was a dream."

"We all know that it is the best place to play football and when I heard about their interest I didn't think twice, I just felt - sign now and close the deal quickly."

Afellay is under no illusions as to the difficulty he faces breaking into Pep Guardiola's star-studded line-up, but remains optimistic he will see first-team action.

"That's normal at a club like this where there are so many quality players, but I'll fight for my place," he said.

"I don't mind where I play - wherever the boss wants me, I'll do my very best."

"(The team is) fast and has a really high level. Every new player who comes in has to find his position in the team and that's what I will do."

Barca Sporting Director Andoni Zubizarreta said the club would not make any further purchases during the January transfer window.

"We have absolutely no plans to sign anybody else," Zubizarreta said.

"(Afellay) was a player who was about to finish his contract and with the squad we have he looks like somebody who can add something."

Espanyol 1-5 FC Barcelona (Matchday 16 La Liga 2010/2011)

FC Barcelona hammered local rivals Espanyol 5-1 in La Liga on Saturday, while Villarreal and Valencia also won.

Espanyol held Barca to a 0-0 draw last season in the first Catalan derby at the new Estadi Cornella El-Prat, but there was no repeat this time around, with the league leaders maintaining their extraordinary goal-scoring form.

Pedro made the breakthrough in the 19th minute, before Xavi Hernandez made it two 11 minutes later.

Pedro grabbed his second just after the hour mark, before Pablo Osvaldo struck for the hosts, scoring the first goal conceded by Barca in six games in all competitions.

There was no sign of a comeback for Espanyol though, who fell further behind to a brace from Spain international David Villa in the final 15 minutes.

Barca are now five points clear of second-place Real Madrid, who take on Sevilla on Sunday.

Villarreal bounced back from a 1-0 defeat away to Getafe last week with a 3-1 win at home to Mallorca.

Jonathan de Guzman cancelled out Santi Cazorla's opener, but Giuseppe Rossi restored Villarreal's lead from the penalty spot in the 34th minute.

Brazil international Nilmar sealed the win with Valencia's third in the 51st minute.

Valencia fell behind to a Xabi Prieto penalty 23 minutes into their match away to Real Sociedad, but Alberto Costa levelled in first-half injury time before Aritz Aduriz struck a 91st minute winner to steal all three points at the death.

Goals from Igor Gabilondo and Javi Mart?nez helped Athletic Bilbao climbed to sixth with a 2-1 win away to Levante, while Diego Castro Gimenez secured a 1-1 draw for Sporting Gijon with an 89th-minute equaliser away to Deportivo La Coruna.

FC Barcelona 5-0 Real Sociedad (Matchday 15 La Liga 2010/2011)

Barcelona and Real Madrid both recorded comfortable victories in La Liga on Sunday, while Athletic Bilbao upset Espanyol.

Barca were at their best in a 5-0 demolition job of Real Sociedad which keeps them top of the league while Real Madrid remain within touching distance after they were rarely troubled in a 3-1 win at Real Zaragoza.

The table-toppers eased to their victory which was kick-started when David Villa made the most of a regulation chance after Pedro picked him out on the left in the first 10 minutes.

Pedro and then Lionel Messi went close, with the Argentine having his shot cleared off the line despite rounding Real Sociedad goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, before Barca doubled their lead just after the half-hour mark.

With Andres Iniesta through on goal, poor keeping from Bravo allowed the Ballon D'Or nominee to shoot and score at the near post.

The third goal of the match put the result beyond doubt, with a sublime move that saw Messi and Daniel Alves find each other three times, ending in a Messi goal after a stylish finish just two minutes into the second half.

With the victory already sealed, the hosts eased up but late goals to Messi - from a sublime solo effort - and an injury-time strike to substitute Bojan wrapped up the points.

Messi's double saw him take his season tally to 17 goals in La Liga - equal with Cristiano Ronaldo.

In Zaragoza, Jose Mourinho's side continued to keep the pressure on Barca with another assured performance.

Mesut Oezil's fourth of the season after 15 minutes gave the giants a lead which they never relinquished, and goals after 44 and 47 minutes from Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria respectively made sure of the points.

Madrid defender Ricardo Carvalho fouled Nicolas Bertolo in the area after 53 minutes to give the hosts a penalty, which was tucked away by Gabi nine minutes into the second half.

But Real Zaragoza - who sit bottom - were never expected to mount too much of a challenge for Mourinho's men who were in cruise control for the last half-hour.

In other matches, mid-table Athletic Bilbao came from a goal down to beat fourth-placed Espanyol 2-1 at San Mames courtesy of strikes from Spain international Fernando Llorente and substitute David Lopez.

Goals from David Trezeguet and Royston Drenthe helped promoted Hercules beat relegation-threatened Malaga 4-1 at the Estadio Jose Rico Perez.

Racing Santander pulled four points clear of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win away to Mallorca, while Sporting Gijon remain second-bottom after a 1-1 draw at home to Levante.

FC Barcelona 2-0 Rubin Kazan (Matchday 6 - Group Stage UCL 2010/2011)

Rubin blown away by Barcelona young guns

A youthful FC Barcelona side did what their senior colleagues had failed to do in three attempts as the Spanish champions ended Group D with a 2-0 win against FC Rubin Kazan.

Andreu Fontàs and substitute Víctor Vázquez scored the goals – their first for the club – at the start and end of the second half as the section winners passed Rubin into submission. In any event, the visitors' UEFA Champions League days were numbered as FC København's 3-0 win against Panathinaikos FC meant this result was academic, and they will now turn attention to the UEFA Europa League.

Andrés Iniesta, Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernández were named in an all-Barcelona shortlist for the FIFA Ballon d'Or on Monday but none were in the starting XI as Josep Guardiola, with top spot already assured, experimented. Fontàs and Thiago Alcántara were handed their UEFA Champions League debuts but before their merits could be assessed the coach had other things to concern him.

The game was 13 minutes old when Jeffren limped off with a groin strain and before half-time Bojan Krkić had joined him in the treatment room after a blow to the head. As if Guardiola's intention to blood the newest alumni of Barcelona's renowned La Masia youth system had not been clear their replacements were Vázquez, on his second UEFA Champions League outing, and another debutant, Marc Bartra.

Naturally the passing and movement were less fluid, less confident, and the hosts could have fallen behind on 15 minutes. Gökdeniz Karadeniz fed the overlapping Cristian Ansaldi on the left and whether the Argentinian meant to shoot or cross the effect was a superb stop from one of the old guard; the 35-year-old Pinto, who was deputising for Víctor Valdés.

Barcelona's injuries meant they reverted from a three to a four-man back line, but the flip side was that defenders had more scope to attack – Fontàs needed no invitation. Six minutes after the restart Thiago cut in from the right following a corner and the central defender, 21, stabbed the ball in via the outstretched hand of Vitali Kaleshin.

The highlight of the remainder of the match looked like being either the introduction of Messi, who produced some trademark dribbling, or Rubin's best chance which Rafał Murawski flicked casually into Pinto's hands. Barcelona would not be denied by these opponents a fourth time, however, and with seven minutes remaining Adriano fed Vázquez, who bent a right-footed shot past the exposed Sergei Ryzhikov.

CA Osasuna 0-3 FC Barcelona (Matchday 14 La Liga 2010/2011)

FC Barcelona moved five point clear off Real Madrid with tough 3-0 victory against Osasuna. This is our seventh consecutive away win of the season and that's yet another La Liga record. There has been huge controversy into the build up of this match. Barca were planning to fly tonight to Pamplona, but the sudden strike by the air traffic controller through off Barca's plan onto disarray. We were told in the morning that the match was postponed to tomorrow by the RFEF. But it looks like Osasuna objected to that and wanted to play us on saturday. It looks like some phone call from a particular business tycoon in the Capital, might have made that decision. Camacho with his association with Real Madrid, did his best to make life easier for his older club. But his and his club's cowardly insistence to have Barca travel all the way from Barcelona to Pamplona in both train and bus did nothing to change the fate of this match. It is still not clear what made his club to insist on playing tonight - maybe the fear of Barca or maybe the love for Real Madrid. A first half goal from Pedro and two second half strikes from Messi helped Barca to yet another away win in the league. Guardiola retained the same eleven which lined-up against Real Madrid - Valdes, Pique, Puyol, Alves, Abidal, Busquets, Iniesta, Xavi, Pedro, Villa and Messi.