Today’s 5⃣ stories: tough Champions draw, Atleti-Barça war.. | OneFootball

A Friday, August 28 packed with transfers, news, results... gets underway, so let’s wrap up a week that also brings the start of a new matchday.

Barça tighten their grip on top spot against Athletic

📸 Alex Caparros - 2026 Getty Images

Barcelona beat Athletic Club 2-0 thanks to goals from Raphinha and Fermín López.

The Blaugrana impressed, with Eric García, Xavi Espart, Pau Cubarsí, Pedri and Raphinha all performing at a high level. Opposite them was an Athletic side that faded as the match went on, were somewhat kept alive by Unai Simón, and hit the post through Sancet with the score at 1-0.

A tough Champions League draw for everyone

Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid will all face difficult opponents in their league-phase campaign.

Meanwhile, Villarreal and Betis will come up against historic clubs like Bayern and Manchester United, as well as the last two Champions League finalists, PSG and Arsenal.

The ‘Atleti-Barça’ war: Gil Marín vs Rafa Yuste

📸 Eric Alonso - 2024 Getty Images

The Champions League draw was not only in the headlines because of the teams pulled from the bowls, but also because of the statements made by Gil Marín, CEO of Atlético de Madrid, and Rafa Yuste, Barcelona vice-president.

This is what Gil Marín said: "The truth is that what outrages us even more, what disgusts us, is the falsehood, the lack of ethics, transparency and professionalism, and we can only insist that we are not going to negotiate with Barcelona under any circumstances. I have the backing of everyone working with me at shareholder and board level, and the only certain and firm decision is that we are not going to negotiate with Barcelona under any circumstances. That is my word, which is one of the few things I have, and the player will definitely not be transferred to Barcelona."

And he said this about Julián: "Julián is really struggling. There have been people responsible for misleading and confusing him, and I’m very sorry about that. I know him and we’ve been working with him for some time. He is a great professional and footballer, and he is very confused and going through a very difficult situation both personally and professionally."

Yuste responded like this: "With those words, they crossed a red line. I do not understand it at all. They outrage me because Barcelona have always respected every rival and every player in the world. I’m very sorry about it; they crossed a red line."

Pau Cubarsí and Joan García defend Barcelona over the ‘no tribute’

📸 Alex Caparros - 2026 Getty Images

During Barcelona-Athletic, no tribute was held for the world champions, something that has not gone down well with part of the Barça fanbase.

However, Pau Cubarsí and Joan García backed the club over its decision: "It was the club’s decision not to organise the tribute. I think it’s right because of what happened in Elche, which is something that cannot happen again; this excessive use of force cannot happen again. The club issued the statement."

The goalkeeper also responded like this: "The players are with the club, although we don’t have much say in these matters, but whatever the club has decided... we’re fully behind them."

Enzo Fernández to Manchester City? First Xabi Alonso drops him

📸 Mike Hewitt - 2026 Getty Images

Xabi Alonso left Enzo Fernández out of the squad for Chelsea-Luton, a match the Blues won.

That said, the San Sebastián-born coach tried to play down the situation: "It was simply because of today’s match. We have other players who need minutes."

Meanwhile, Enzo will be one of the hot topics in the final days of the transfer window as he is close to signing for Manchester City, managed by his former coach Enzo Maresca.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

📸 GIORGIO VIERA - AFP or licensors