The Spanish Super Cup is returning to Saudi Arabia with defending champion Real Madrid and Valencia looking to get back on track and Barcelona and Real Betis hoping to maintain momentum.

The first semifinal game on Wednesday features Madrid and Valencia with both teams coming off weekend losses in the Spanish league. Madrid has dropped three points behind league leader Barcelona after a 2-1 defeat at Villarreal. Valencia lost 1-0 to Cádiz at home — its second straight league loss — and is four points from the relegation zone.

It's hard to know what would have cut deeper for the men in charge of Chelsea — the ineptitude on the field or the chants in the crowd.

Fed up with seeing their team being given a clinic in yet another loss to Manchester City, Chelsea fans started pining after the people who had delivered them some of the best moments of their lives over the last few years.

French football boss Noel Le Graet on Monday apologized for what he dubbed his "clumsy remarks" about Zinedine Zidane's potential interest in coaching the France national team.

Le Graet had quipped dismissively in an interview on French radio that he "wouldn't even have taken his call on the phone" when asked whether Zidane had rung him to express an interest in taking over as coach from Didier Deschamps.

Lionel Messi and Paris Saint-Germain will play a friendly against a select side made up of players from Cristiano Ronaldo's new club Al Nassr and their Saudi rivals Al Hilal in Riyadh on January 19, the French champions announced on Monday.

Qatar-owned PSG will travel to Doha on January 17 before moving on to the Saudi capital for the match at the King Fahd Stadium which will see Messi and Ronaldo renew their rivalry.

Playing without Robert Lewandowski wasn't so bad for Barcelona after all.

Barcelona overcame the absence of its top striker to win 1-0 at Atlético Madrid and open a three-point lead over rival Real Madrid in the Spanish league on Sunday.

Spain's administrative court for sports on Wednesday upheld a three-game suspension for Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski, taking him out of the Spanish league match against Atlético Madrid on Sunday.

The suspension had been lifted by a court of disputes after an appeal by Barcelona. The Poland striker had been allowed to play in last weekend's 1-1 league draw against Espanyol.

Barcelona struggled to advance in its Copa del Rey debut on Wednesday, needing extra time to defeat third-division club Intercity 4-3.

Ansu Fati scored the winning goal for Barcelona in the 104th minute after the Catalan club relinquished a lead three times in the 3-3 draw in regulation.

More than 30,000 Gremio fans filled the Brazilian club's arena in Porto Alegre on Wednesday to welcome striker Luis Suárez. The 35-year-old signed a two-year contract in a free transfer after his contract with Uruguay's Nacional ended.

Three-time Copa Libertadores winner Gremio will return to Brazil's top flight division after a shocking relegation in 2021. It will be the eighth club in Suarez' career, which includes stints at Ajax, Liverpool, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Cristiano Ronaldo's new team Al Nassr is nicknamed Al Alami, meaning "The Global Club."

However, the Saudi Arabian club was hardly prepared to handle the sudden attention of the world that came its way following one of the most sensational signings in soccer history.

Daniil Medvedev defeated Miomir Kecmanovic 6-0, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals of the Adelaide International. The former world No. 1 — now ranked No. 7 — had an easy time on Wednesday for his third victory in three tries against the Serbian, who is ranked No. 29.

Top-seeded Novak Djokovic, who has won 30 straight singles matches on Australian soil, will play Thursday for his place in the quarterfinals and a possible matchup against Medvedev in the semifinals.