The Catalan side have 68 points, seven ahead of Atletico Madrid, who visit Alaves on Sunday, and 10 clear of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, who drew 1-1 at home to Granada on Friday.

Empoli, who are battling relegation, opened the scoring after four minutes when striker Alberto Cerri headed in a close-range cross for what proved to be the winner.

Everything Miami was creating was coming through Messi, who flashed a snapshot wide before moments later whipping in a cross for a Gomez header which was saved by Panicco's feet.

The last chance saloon has opened its doors early for Barcelona as they travel to the capital on Sunday aiming to hold off Real Madrid's LaLiga title run in a desperate effort to stay alive in the race for the only remaining major silverware they can win.

"It was a tough week for us, few tough results and emotionally really hard but we had to keep doing. Today was all about bouncing back and getting the win."

Pep Guardiola's side were second best for long periods of the semi-final, but Chelsea wasted a string of chances before Silva delivered the knockout blow six minutes from full-time.

Souleymane Diabate bagged his first five-goal haul in a professional match as Mohammedan Sporting Club hammered relegation-threatened Brothers Union 8-0 in the Bangladesh Premier League at the Rafique Uddin Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh on Saturday.

“He [Palmer] was asking for two seasons to leave and I said stay. He said he wanted to leave. What could we do?” Goal.com quoted Guardiola.

Manchester City’s defence of the UEFA Champions League came to a heartbreaking end when they failed to put away a resilient Real Madrid, going down 4-3 on penalties, at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.

Erik ten Hag claimed Manchester United's squad is not fractured after revealing Alejandro Garnacho apologised for liking social media posts criticising the manager's handling of the Argentine forward.

Chelsea forward Cole Palmer has emerged as a Player of the Year contender thanks to a dazzling campaign that left Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola to rue what might have been ahead of their reunion in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final.

After years of heartbreak and being dubbed "Neverkusen" for their string of runners-up finishes, Bayer Leverkusen finally broke through to claim their first-ever Bundesliga title. Their 5-0 victory over Werder Bremen last week secured the trophy, marking a watershed moment in the club's 119-year history. Although they have enjoyed intermittent cup success, this league title signifies a shift in their fortunes.

Pep Guardiola has revealed Erling Haaland could miss Manchester City's FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday.

Abahani consolidated third spot in the Bangladesh Premier League while Bangladesh Police moved up to fourth position with wins in their respective matches on Friday.

Erik ten Hag claimed Manchester United's squad is not fractured after revealing Alejandro Garnacho apologised for liking social media posts criticising the manager's handling of the Argentine forward.

Julian Nagelsmann has signed a contract extension with the German men's national team, the domestic football association said Friday, putting to bed speculation of a quick return to club football.

Guardiola's side play Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday.

The Villa stopper received a hostile reception throughout from Lille fans who had not forgotten his provocative celebrations after Argentina beat France on penalties in the 2022 World Cup final.

The two sides met at the same stage last season.

The Champions League will have 36 teams in the group stage from next season, four more than this term.