Injured Iniesta out of Barcelona match at Athletic Bilbao

Barcelona says Andres Iniesta will not play Saturday's Spanish league match against Athletic Bilbao because of an injury.

The club says the team captain will not make the trip to Bilbao after pulling a muscle in his right thigh.

Thomas Vermaelen is also not be available, as he is nursing a hip injury.

Ousmane Dembele, Rafinha, Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal had already been ruled out because of long-term injuries.

Jordi Alba had been listed as doubtful because of his fitness but he has been cleared to play.

The club says Javier Mascherano, who missed practice Friday because of a fever, is also expected to play.

Barcelona has a four-point lead over Valencia, which earlier Saturday plays at second-to-lastplace Alaves.

Madrid keeps focus on soccer as it heads to Catalonia

Real Madrid is trying to keep the focus on soccer as it travels to Catalonia to play a Spanish league match this weekend.

Madrid faces Catalan club Girona on Sunday amid heightened tensions in the northeastern region, which is seeking independence from Spain.

The political crisis reached a climax Friday, with Catalonia's regional parliament passing a motion to establish an independent Catalan Republic and Spain's Senate approving the government's proposals to take control of the region.

It will be Madrid's first trip to Catalonia since the crisis escalated.

Madrid, seen as the club of the Spanish establishment, has reportedly taken precautions ahead of its trip, including not using its official team bus, but it has tried hard to distance itself from the political turmoil.

He said players are not concerned about their safety during the trip to Girona, a city filled with pro-independence sentiment just north of Barcelona.

Reports in Spain said there was a possibility that the game could be called off because of the situation in Catalonia, but the club was not yet making and drastic changes to its travel plans.

A referendum organised by Catalan officials on Oct. 1 turned violent as Spanish authorities tried to halt it because the central government called it unconstitutional.

There have been large public demonstrations since then, but most were peaceful.

Madrid faced Catalan club Espanyol in Madrid on the day of the referendum, when the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium was packed with fans carrying Spanish flags and showing their support of a unified country.

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Serie C - Group B

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Serie C - Group C

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