Barca have the opportunity to return to the top when they host sixth-placed Rayo Vallecano at the Olympic Stadium on Monday, after both their main rivals dropped points on Saturday.

Hansi Flick's Barca climbed within two points of Los Blancos and moved one behind Atletico to crank up the tension in the title race.

Los Blancos were beaten 1-0 at relegation-battling Espanyol on Saturday and subsequently sent a furious letter to the Spanish football federation blasting the country's refereeing as "rigged" and "completely discredited".

Barcelona playmaker Pedri extended his contract by four years through to June 2030 on Thursday in a boost for club president Joan Laporta who has been in the spotlight over the handling of the Dani Olmo debacle.

Balde was full of praise for Atalanta, who won last season's Europa League, but was left stumped by an Italian journalist's other question about their coach Gian Piero Gasperini's style of play at a press conference on Tuesday.

Santos' president told Brazilian superstar Neymar it was "time to return to (his) people" in a video published on social media on Tuesday.

Barcelona sit third in the standings with 42 points, three behind second-placed Atletico Madrid and seven adrift of leaders Real Madrid.

Barcelona need to maintain their focus till the end of games to ensure they stop dropping points in matches they should have won, coach Hansi Flick said on Saturday, after his team slipped to third in LaLiga due to a four-match winless streak.

The 25-year-old joined Barcelona in 2018 from Uruguayan side Boston River and has established himself as a core member of Hansi Flick's team.

Barcelona were 4-2 down towards the end of the match before goals from Robert Lewandowski, Eric Garcia and Raphinha secured their comeback.

The Catalan giants have won just one of their last eight league games, falling behind rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, but by contrast are flying high in Europe.

Record 31-time Copa del Rey winners Barcelona will face Valencia in the quarter-finals, after they were paired in Monday's draw.

Barcelona's last visit to face Benfica ended in a heavy thumping on the way to Champions League group stage elimination in 2021, but with young starlet Lamine Yamal propelling a team on the rise, hopes are far higher for the Catalans this time around.

Olmo has scored six goals and registered three assists in 18 appearances since joining Barca in the close season from RB Leipzig. The Catalans are second in the Champions League table, having won five of their six games.

The draw leaves the third-place Catalans five points behind leaders Atletico Madrid, who lost 1-0 at Leganes earlier in the day, but Hansi Flick's side could not take advantage.

 Barcelona put in a clinical display to lift their first trophy in more than a year, having no silverware to show for last season.

Kylian Mbappe put Madrid ahead but a dominant Barcelona hit five in response before their goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was sent off in the second half.

LaLiga leaders Real recovered from that setback and are on a five-match winning streak ahead of defending the Super Cup in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but coach Carlo Ancelotti is cautious.

Last season, around this time, there was a surprise package in Girona in the top three of LaLiga. However, a year later, the Spanish league has returned to the status quo, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid -- the three giants of Spain -- occupying the top three spots on the table at the end of 2024.

Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo scored second-half goals to help Real to a 3-0 win over Mallorca after Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 in the other last-four clash.