Barcelona

Who: Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona
What: Spanish football’s La Liga
Where: Metropolitano Stadium
When: Saturday, April 5, at 9pm (19:00 GMT).
How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.

Barcelona winger Raphinha’s untimely injury heaps further pressure on teenage star Lamine Yamal ahead of the club’s triple-header against Atletico Madrid.

The Spanish champions visit Atletico on Saturday as they bid to maintain or even extend their lead at the top of La Liga, before two further games against Diego Simeone’s team in the Champions League quarterfinals.

Barca have already faced Atletico three times this season, beating them in La Liga in December but falling in the Copa del Rey semifinal over two legs.

Without Raphinha, out with a hamstring injury until May, the onus will be on 18-year-old winger Yamal to provide the magic Barca need to proceed on two fronts in the approaching, inevitably intense battles with Atletico.

Yamal played for Spain this week in a goalless draw against Egypt in Cornella at Espanyol’s stadium, which was notable for Islamophobic chanting from the home supporters that the teenager, a Muslim, condemned.

“To those who sing these things: using a religion as a form of mockery on a pitch shows you up as ignorant and racist,” wrote Yamal on social media.

Yamal has shown maturity beyond his years since bursting onto the scene as a 15-year-old, including starring for Spain as they won Euro 2024 and blossoming further still as Barca claimed a domestic treble last season.

The youngster, often compared to another graduate from Barca’s La Masia youth academy, Lionel Messi, seems to save his best performances for the biggest occasions.

Yamal netted six times for Barca in his last seven matches across all competitions, and the Catalan giants will hope he can continue that form into the final phase of the season.

He admitted in February that he has not been happy this season, in part due to a long-running groin injury, but lately feels better.

“I have that desire to smile on the pitch that I haven’t had for a long time, and I’m very happy, now I’m happy playing,” said Yamal after scoring the first hat-trick of his career, against Villarreal.

In recent weeks, Barca have been dependent on the forward in attack and goalkeeper Joan Garcia at the other end.

Strikers Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres have struggled for consistent form, while Marcus Rashford has fallen somewhat out of favour.

Raphinha’s injury opens the door for the England international, on loan from Manchester United, to start on the left again.

Yamal’s pressing and off-the-ball work is an excellent example for Rashford, who despite his strong contribution in terms of assists, sometimes lacks the relentless energy and focus Hansi Flick wants from his forwards.

Simeone’s Atletico, fourth by a distance from fifth-place Real Betis, have little to play for in the league but will want to build momentum before Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg at Camp Nou.

The La Liga showdown is a preview of the series in the Champions League quarterfinals between the Spanish clubs.

It will be the first of three games between Barcelona and Atletico in 10 days. The Spanish rivals will face each other five times in less than two months. They also met in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey in February and March, when Atletico advanced to the final 4-3 on aggregate.

The Champions League games will be on Wednesday in Barcelona and on April 14 in Madrid. Barcelona is looking to make it to the Champions League semifinals for the second season in a row, and Atletico is seeking to get back to the last four for the first time since 2017.

Stat attack – Barcelona

25.3 – The average age of the Barca squad is the youngest in the league: 25.3.

What happened the last time Atletico Madrid faced Barcelona?

Barcelona were 3-0 winners in the last meeting between the sides, the second leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal in March.

The first leg, however, was won 4-0 by Atletico.

What happened in the last La Liga meeting?

Barcelona were 3-1 winners in the reverse fixture in the league earlier this season.

What happened in the corresponding fixture last season?

Barcelona were 4-2 winners in the La Liga fixture at Atletico, despite the home side taking a two-goal lead.

Robert Lewandowski began the Barca comeback with his side’s first goal, which came in the 72nd minute.

Head-to-head

This will be the 252nd meeting between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, with Atletico winning 80 times and Barca claiming the spoils in 114 of the meetings.

Atletico Madrid team news

Marcos Llorente and Johnny Cardoso are both suspended for the match.
Pablo Barrios and Rodrigo Mendoza have thigh and ankle injuries, respectively, and will also miss out.

Barcelona team news

As well as Raphinha, Barca are also likely to be without Frenkie de Jong at the weekend, but Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde may be able to return after injury.

Talks broke down this week that would lead to widespread disruption for travellers over Easter to airports in places like Mallorca and the Canary Islands

UK tourists have been given a significant update over planned strike action at multiple airports in Spain. Talks broke down this week before officials announced that strikes would be held over several dates in March and April.

Airports set to be affected by the measures included Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, , Gran Canaria, Málaga, Alicante, and Tenerife (South and North). Now an update has been reported in the Spanish press.

Two sets of strikes at Spanish airports have been partly cancelled, according to Spanish media reports. There had been concerns about extensive disruption at major airports throughout Spain owing to industrial action.

Larazon now reports that trade unions have postponed imminent strikes due to start today that would have seen staff at airport services operators Groundforce and Menzies walk out. The update comes after advances in wage negotiations – but strikes planned for later on have yet to be cancelled, according to local media.

Spanish reports say that trade unions have called off the first day of strike action at Groundforce, Air Europa’s ground handling company, and the first two days of the strike scheduled for this weekend at Menzies, another airport ground handling operator. This is according to sources from the UGT trade union speaking to Efe.

The partial and indefinite strikes planned Groundforce strikes were set to began this Friday. They would have coincided with the beginning of the Easter holiday exodus.

Ultimahora reports that the industrial action at Groundforce had been scheduled for the morning, afternoon and night shifts (from 5am to 7am, from 11am to 5pm, and from 10pm to midnight) with plans set to continue indefinitely. Additionally, the UGT has agreed to call off the first two days of industrial action at Menzies, planned for this Saturday and Sunday. In Menzies’ case, the strike had been called exclusively by UGT – the main union at the firm – for 28 and 29 March, and between 2 and 6 April.

The English language Majorca Daily Bulletin reports that 24-hour strikes for Menzies staff from April 2 to April 6 have not yet been scrapped. It also reported that there is no sign of further suspensions to the other planned strike action for Groundforce staff.

The strike notice at the ground handling operator covered all businesses within the group (Menzies Aviation Ibérica and Menzies Ground Services) and around 3,000 employees. The union had cautioned that, should no deal be struck with the company, the strikes would be rolled out to every weekend until the year’s end.

Groundforce operates at Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Málaga, Gran Canaria, Valencia, Ibiza, Bilbao, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. Menzies operates at Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Málaga, Alicante, Gran Canaria, Tenerife South and Tenerife North.

Delays are expected at check-in, baggage handling and other services affecting UK holidaymakers

Major UK tourist hotspots are set to face disruption within days due to widespread strike action. The Canary Islands in Spain is getting ready as unions prepare to go on strike this and next month.

Airports across the Canary Islands are bracing themselves for industrial action by ground handling staff over the Easter period. Trade unions representing workers at Menzies and Groundforce have announced walkouts.

More than 1,500 employees throughout the islands are expected to take part, according to Spanish website Canarias7. Aviation hubs in the Canary Islands are making preparations for the ground handling strike announced for Easter week, which forms part of a nationwide protest.

Three major spots used by Brits are set to be affected, according to the website. Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura are all set for disruption.

The industrial action has been organised by staff at Menzies and Groundforce. Reports say the action will almost certainly lead to hold-ups in ground operations – including check-in, baggage processing and collection.

Menzies has a workforce over 600 and handles operations for carriers including Norwegian, British Airways, and EasyJet, among others. It operates at Gran Canaria, Tenerife North, and Tenerife South airports, as well as on the mainland at major airports such as Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Málaga and Alicante.

The UGT union-coordinated action will kick off this weekend (28th and 29th March), with further stoppages planned for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th April, during the peak travel period for Easter week. Groundforce is a Globalia group firm providing services to Air Europa. We reported earlier this week that the action is taking place over rights and working conditions for staff.

Unions say they are taking strike action over the implementation of pay scales among other things. Close to 900 employees across the Canary Islands – encompassing Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura – face disruption. The Groundforce industrial action is set to begin tomorrow, 27th March, with walkouts planned for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays across staggered time slots: 5:00-7:00am; 11:00am-5:00pm; and 10:00pm-midnight.

On the Menzies action, Spanish media reports say that should no agreement be reached, the strikes will continue every Saturday and Sunday until 31 December, following the same timetable. That could lead to months of disruption.

Travelling with kids can be stressful, but a new data analysis has revealed some of Europe’s most child-friendly city breaks which offer accessibility and plenty to keep kids entertained

With the Easter break, May half-term, and bank holidays coming up, many parents will be looking for ways to keep the kids entertained. While you might not have considered taking younger kids on a city break, it can be a fun option if you’re looking for a short break.

That’s why LateRooms has put together the Family Breaks Index – a data analysis that pulls together information that’s of interest to people travelling with young children, such as flight and transfer times, walkability, accessibility for those bringing pushchairs, and the child-friendly attractions on offer.

Coming in at number three is a Spanish city that has long been popular with Brits for city breaks, and its short flight time and easy walkability have seen it score highly for family trips too.

Barcelona flights are just over two hours from the UK, and on arrival, visitors can hop on the airport train to the centre, which takes just 25 minutes. This makes it ideal for people travelling with young children who wouldn’t be able to do a long journey.

The city has a flat, walkable centre, with many major tourist attractions just a short walk apart. This means it’s easy to navigate with a buggy, and little legs won’t get worn out from a day of sightseeing.

According to LateRooms, the city has about 400 family-friendly attractions, so you won’t have to deal with kids complaining they are bored. To start, there are classic tourist attractions such as the Sagrada Família and Gaudí’s unique and colourful Park Güell, both of which are impressive enough to keep kids enthralled.

Kids love science museums, and Cosmocaixa is an unforgettable day out. One of Barcelona’s largest museums, the entire experience is interactive, full of engaging activities that teach kids about the creation of the cosmos. The museum takes visitors on a journey through the natural world, from the past to the present.

Tibidabo Amusement Park is a great place to see views of the city and enjoy charmingly old-fashioned fairground rides. It’s set on a hill that overlooks Barcelona, and as you ride the Ferris wheel or drop rides, you can enjoy seeing the city below.

A dream day out for kids could well be the Museu de la Xocolata, the chocolate museum, where you can see huge sculptures made from chocolate, including kids’ TV and film characters. It also runs chocolate tasting and making workshops, and once you’ve explored, you can indulge your sweet tooth at the café with a rich and creamy hot chocolate.

One advantage of Barcelona over other city breaks is that it also has a beach nearby, so you can explore the city in the morning and let the kids swim or build sandcastles in the afternoon. The seaside neighbourhood of La Barceloneta is popular with families thanks to its access to a long sandy beach, and it has its own metro station, making it easy to get around the city.

In May, flights to Barcelona start from just £27 one way based on flights from London-Luton with Wizz Air. The weather in May often hits highs of 23C with little rain, making it an ideal time of year to explore.

READ MORE: World’s best waterparks revealed – and two UK ones made the cutREAD MORE: Little-known UK holiday park has private beach and indoor pool

Top city breaks for families – full list

1. Copenhagen, Denmark
2. Berlin, Germany
3. Barcelona, Spain
4. Florence, Italy
5. Amsterdam, Netherlands
6. Valencia, Spain
7. Basel, Switzerland
8. Kraków, Poland
9. Prague, Czechia
10. Vienna, Austria

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