La Liga

Valencia defender Ezequiel Garay confirmed on Sunday he has tested positive for the coronavirus, as relayed by LaLiga TV's Semra Hunter:

"Evidently my 2020 did not start well," read an accompanying message on the post, per Football Italia. "I have tested positive for the coronavirus. I feel fine, and now all I can do is listen to the health authorities, so I will self-isolate."

Garay did not take part in the recent UEFA Champions League matches with Atalanta, as he is suffering with a torn ACL. Bergamo, where Atalanta are based, is close to what is now the epicentre of the outbreak in Italy.

Per Football Italia, Valencia later confirmed "they have five members of the club, between players and staff, who have tested positive for COVID-19."

The former Real Madrid and Benfica player is the first La Liga footballer to announce publicly that he has tested positive for the virus.

Along with the rest of the major leagues in European football, La Liga has been suspended because of the spread of the pandemic.

Per BBC, the Spanish government is set to put the country in a state of lockdown in a bid to stop the spread of the virus. The measures would mean citizens would only be allowed out of their homes for emergencies, for work and to purchase food.

As noted in the report, aside from Italy, Spain is the European nation most seriously hit by the coronavirus.

Vinicius Junior has said he had "three days" to decide between a move to Real Madrid or Barcelona in 2017 when both La Liga giants came in for his signature.

The forward spoke to FourFourTwo about his decision to make the move to the Santiago Bernabeu from Brazilian side Flamengo.

"It was right after I came back from the 2017 South American U17 Championship in Chile. There were already rumours in the press, but I never believed them.

"Eventually it happened: both Real Madrid and Barcelona put offers on the table and I had only three days to make my decision. I always wanted to play for the greatest club, so that's why I chose Real.

"My parents visited both clubs and liked them more. It matched with what I already wanted, and I felt their project was better for me.

"They give a lot of minutes to the younger players, like me, and were going through an outstanding period of success in the Champions League back then."

Vinicius was just 16 when Real Madrid paid €46 million to secure his signature. He was officially unveiled at the club in July 2018 and made history on his Real Madrid debut against Atletico Madrid two months later:

The teenager scored four goals in 31 appearances in his first season in the Spanish capital but did seem to struggle at times with the pressure and expectation that accompanies a big price tag at a young age.

He has also had his critics this season and has frustrated supporters because of a lack of end product, per football writer Dermot Corrigan:

Vinicius has only managed four goals in 2019-20, and while there's no doubting his dribbling ability and skill on the ball, his finishing has let him down.

Yet he has scored important goals this season, notably in the 2-0 Clasico win over Barcelona at the start of March:

Vinicius has had a growing influence on Real Madrid this season and has the talent to develop into a potent attacker for Los Blancos if he can add goals to his game.

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has said he's self-isolating in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and enthused others to do the same to avoid catching or spreading the respiratory illness.

La Liga and UEFA each announced their competitions would be suspended following the rise in COVID-19 cases across Europe.

Messi took to Instagram (h/t ESPN FC) and told people to avoid public spaces where the coronavirus has spread, hoping to "turn this situation around as soon as possible."

Messi ended the post signing off with the hashtag "StayAtHome."

Barcelona confirmed on Friday that all first-team activity at the Camp Nou was suspended "until further notice," with players instead taking on personal training from their homes.

CNN reported 142,230 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide as of Saturday, which had resulted in 5,388 deaths. 

Messi announced his intention to self-isolate on the two-year anniversary of a UEFA Champions League landmark:

Each of Europe's major leagues has made the decision to suspend their activities at least temporarily, with Barcelona currently leading Real Madrid by two points at the top of La Liga.

Spain's top flight is suspended until April 5, but there are doubts regarding Europe's top divisions and whether the domestic seasons will be finished because of the delays caused by COVID-19.

Juventus defender Daniele Rugani was the first high-profile player to be diagnosed with the coronavirus, shortly before Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Chelsea's Callum Hudson-Odoi each tested positive.

Hudson-Odoi posted a video soon after it emerged he had tested positive for COVD-19 and said he had recovered from the illness but was still isolating on medical advice:

In his last game before the ban, Messi scored a 1-0 decider from the penalty when Barcelona beat Real Sociedad on March 7 having gone winless against Real Madrid (2-0) and Napoli (1-1) in their two matches prior to that.

All teams in La Liga have 11 games left to play this season, with Barcelona out to win their third straight league crown for the first time since 2009-11.

Real Madrid have confirmed their football squad is in quarantine after one of the club's basketball players tested positive for the coronavirus.

The club announced the decision in a statement on Thursday on their official Twitter account, noting the basketball and football teams share the same training facilities:

Rodrigo Faez of ESPN provided more details on the situation:

"Sources have told ESPN that Real Madrid took the decision following the recommendations of the Spanish Ministry of Health, and activity at Valdebebas will cease for a minimum of 15 days. The club have also advised family members and partners of first team staff to return home to reduce the risk of further infection."

Following Real Madrid's announcement, La Liga confirmed the competition was being suspended for two weeks:

"Given the circumstances that are coming to light this morning, referring to the quarantine established in Real Madrid and the possible cases in players from other clubs, La Liga considers it appropriate to continue to the next phase of the protocol of action against COVID-19."

Real had confirmed on Twitter earlier in the day that they were postponing tours of the Santiago Bernabeu as a result of the spread of COVID-19: 

Agence France-Presse's Kieran Canning provided his assessment of the developing situation: 

Per Spanish football journalist Rik Sharma, Marca has reported UEFA is set to suspend matches from its two major competitions, including UEFA Europa League games on Thursday: 

Los Blancos were scheduled to be in action in La Liga on Friday against Eibar and take on Manchester City in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday. 

Coronavirus is having a major impact on the football calendar, with two of this week's Champions League clashes being played behind closed doors—Valencia's home game against Atalanta and Paris Saint-Germain's match against Borussia Dortmund in France.

Per CNN, as of March 12. more than 124,500 people around the world have been infected by COVID-19, with over 4,600 dead. 

La Liga has announced the competition will be suspended for a minimum of two weeks following the outbreak of the coronavirus in Spain.

The top two tiers of Spanish football have followed the country's lower divisions after La Liga confirmed all competitions would be temporarily halted.

On Wednesday, United States President Donald Trump imposed a ban on travel from 26 European countries, including Spain.

Jon Henley and Angela Giuffrida of the Guardian wrote on Wednesday that Spain had recorded a "steep rise" to 2,152 cases of COVID-19, which is second only to Italy among European countries. Spain also had 50 deaths attributed to the disease.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) officially declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic on Wednesday, per Jamie Gumbrecht and Jacqueline Howard of CNN.

La Liga have followed the lead of Italy's top flight, Serie A, in suspending all competition in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Barcelona lead Real Madrid at the top of La Liga by two points with 11 matches left to play this season. The suspension means the earliest possible date at which the competition can resume—under the current schedule—is on April 5, after an upcoming scheduled international break.

Los Blancos could have temporarily restored a one-point advantage at the top if they had won away at Eibar on Friday evening. However, Real's squad was placed in quarantine after a player from the club's basketball team had tested positive for COVID-19, per ESPN FC's Rodrigo Faez.

A statement from Real read: 

"Real Madrid confirms that a player from our basketball first team has tested positive after tests carried out for coronavirus COVID-19. From this moment, the recommendation has been followed to keep both the basketball first team and the football first team in quarantine, given that the two squads share facilities at Real Madrid City."

The Guardian's Fabrizio Romano predicted the UEFA Champions League clash between Manchester City and Real on Tuesday will also be postponed:

Delays to La Liga mean it's in some doubt as to whether domestic European campaigns will conclude on time—or at all—this season, with UEFA Euro 2020 scheduled to get under way in June.

The president of Madrid-based outfit Getafe, Angel Torres, said on Tuesday he would not send his players to Italy for their planned UEFA Europa League last-16 meeting with Inter Milan on Thursday.

Torres told El Transistor (h/t Robbie Dunne of AS): "If we lose the tie, then we lose the tie. I won't be the one to assume any sort of risk. We were really hopeful about this game but if it has to be like this, then that's the way it is."

Roma were also due to open their Europa League round-of-16 clash away to Sevilla, but the Giallorossi confirmed on Wednesday that they were refused permission to land in Spain:

Both ties were officially postponed by UEFA on Wednesday.

Spain are scheduled to play international friendlies against Germany in Madrid and the Netherlands in Amsterdam on March 26 and 29, respectively.

Diego Simeone has compared Jan Oblak's impact to that of Barcelona's Lionel Messi after the goalkeeper played a key role in Atletico Madrid's "historic" 3-2 extra-time win over Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday. 

The UEFA Champions League titleholders won 1-0 in 90 minutes to draw 1-1 on aggregate and force extra time in the last 16, but goals from Marcos Llorente helped seal Liverpool's exit. Georginio Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino scored on the evening but couldn't prevent a 4-2 aggregate defeat.

Oblak was named man of the match for his performance on Merseyside, and Simeone told reporters after the game: "Our goalkeeper is the best in the world. He decides games the way [Lionel] Messi does for Barcelona."

Liverpool reserve keeper Adrian played a critical role for opposing reasons at the other end of the field, with regular No. 1 Alisson Becker missing the second leg because of injury.

Firmino's 94th-minute goal put Liverpool 2-0 ahead on the night (2-1 on aggregate) and within sight of the quarter-finals, but Adrian's poor clearance minutes later allowed Llorente to bag a vital away goal (U.S. viewers only):

The Atletico substitute showed remarkable composure in the 106th minute to score his second—which Adrian arguably should have saved—before assisting Alvaro Morata for a late blow at the death (U.S. viewers only):

Oblak's side have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last four outings but are now unbeaten in seven games (including extra time), and Squawka highlighted the Slovenian's match-saving input on Wednesday:

Los Rojiblancos have advanced to the competition's quarter-finals for the first time since 2017, and Simeone added: "I'm happy for the club that once again we are among the eight best teams in Europe. It was historic, beautiful. Their supporters pushed them as ours did at the Wanda but we stuck with the plan."

It was clear from Atletico's second-half display that they were content going to extra time, with Simeone's substitutions and the squad's fitness among the key factors in their advance to the next round.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp told BT Sport (h/t Evening Standard's Joe Krishnan) after the game he didn't understand why Atletico, with the players they possess, don't play "proper football."

Simeone was asked to comment on those remarks and outlined a different sole objective:

Oblak came under particularly heavy pressure in the second half of normal time but was instrumental for his side throughout, while Adrian's outing will inevitably be remembered for far different reasons.

Paris Saint-Germain beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at an empty Parc des Princes on Wednesday to also advance (3-2 on aggregate), joining RB Leipzig and Atalanta in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Real Madrid's growing injury list could hamper their attempts to return to the top of La Liga when they host Eibar on Friday.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and left-back Marcelo will join Eden Hazard as the notable absences from Zinedine Zidane's squad at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Zidane needs a good performance from his team following last week's 2-1 defeat away to Real Betis, a result that was enough to ensure Barcelona ended the week in top spot.

The title will be far from Eibar's thoughts, though, with Jose Luis Mendilibar's team still wary of the threat of relegation. They are just two points above the bottom three following Tuesday's 2-1 defeat at home to Real Sociedad.

Eibar are struggling for form, but in 35-year-old Charles, Mendilibar has a striker prolific enough to cause Madrid a few problems. The same goes for playmaker Fabian Orellana, whose vision and technique should keep him supplied with chances.

If the game goes ahead, it will be played behind closed doors because of the outbreak of the coronavirus. Yet, La Liga officials will meet with the Spanish football federation (RFEF) and the AFE players' union on Thursday to discuss the potential suspension of matches in the top two divisions, per Marca's Jose Felix Diaz and Euan McTear.

Date: Friday, March 13

Time: 8 p.m. GMT/4 p.m. ET

TV Info: LaLigaTV, beIN Sports

Live Stream: PremierPlayer.tv, beIN Sports Connect.

Odds

• Real Madrid: -430 (bet $430 to win $100)
• Eibar: +1100 (bet $100 to win $1100)
• Draw: +540

Odds per Caesars.

Courtois missing out with an adductor injury, a problem confirmed by the club's official website, is potentially a significant blow for what has generally been an impressive defence this season.

Real have conceded a mere 19 goals in Spain's top flight, and the goalkeeper's form has been a big reason why. The former Chelsea man has been exceptional during his second campaign with Los Blancos.

Courtois' absence means Alphonse Areola will get the chance to justify his move from Paris Saint-Germain last summer. The Frenchman is a capable stopper, but he can't match the athleticism and command of the area Real's No. 1 has.

The defence in front of Areola should remain strong even without Marcelo. A hamstring injury will keep the Brazilian out, per the club's official website, but summer import Ferland Mendy has been making the left-back berth his own.

Zidane's back four needs to be cohesive against Charles, who has netted eight goals in all competitions. The veteran knows how to find space in the box and remains a threat in the air.

Orellana will be tasked with sending in the deliveries to help the forward thrive. It's something the Chilean can do, provided he finds space in a midfield set to be dominated by Luka Modric, Casemiro and Toni Kroos.

Real's midfield has a natural target to aim for thanks to Karim Benzema. The Frenchman got on the scoresheet against Betis to continue his fine individual season:

Expect Benzema to be among the goals again and for the 32-year-old to push Eibar closer to the brink. 

Former Barcelona player Marc Bartra has said he could be tempted by the prospect of returning to the Camp Nou in the future.

Catalonia-born Bartra is currently plying his trade for Real Betis, but he began his senior career at Barcelona after graduating from the club's famous La Masia academy.

Bartra made 59 La Liga appearances for the Blaugrana across seven seasons before joining Borussia Dortmund in 2016. He then made the switch to Betis in January 2018 when current Barca manager Quique Setien was in charge at the Estadio Benito Villamarin, and he has been a regular in the first team ever since.

Bartra, 29, has said he is committed to Betis, but he added that does not mean he would not be open to a return to Barca in the future, per Mundo Deportivo (h/t Chris Burton of Goal):

"Right now I am totally focused on Betis. I am feeling very good here, although I have never closed the doors on a return to Barca. I spent 15 years of my life there, and they were very beautiful years. I follow Barca very much. I have many friends in the locker room, and now there is also the coach who made me come here."

Bartra, who can play as a centre-back and a central midfielder, was part of the Betis side that did Barca a big favour on Sunday by beating Real Madrid 2-1.

As a result, Barcelona are back in charge of the La Liga title race despite some variable form of late:

Barca's next outing is a visit to Mallorca on Saturday before next Wednesday's UEFA Champions League last-16 second leg against Napoli at the Camp Nou:

Setien's side were unconvincing in the first leg in Naples last month but still managed to come away with a 1-1 draw:

Antoine Griezmann's away goal, which cancelled out Dries Mertens' brilliant opener, could be crucial to Barca advancing their campaign to win a first Champions League title since 2015.

Barca have suffered humiliating exits in Europe's elite competition in the last two seasons, first giving up a 4-1 lead in the quarter-finals against Roma before last year's semi-final capitulation against Liverpool:

Those results were part of the reason Ernesto Valverde was sacked back in January, and Setien could find himself under pressure even this early on in his Barca tenure if they suffer another premature Champions League exit.

Kike Mateu is a familiar face for football fans in Spain. He's a contributor on El Chiringuito de Jugones, the country's most popular nightly TV football show. But he's become even more well-known since contracting the coronavirus (COVID-19) while in Milan to report on the UEFA Champions League game between Atalanta and Valencia on February 19.

Mateu's trip to northern Italy for the match was like any other he has taken as part of his regular beat covering Valencia. He got on a flight from Valencia to Pisa, rented a car and drove three hours north to Milan for the match being played in the historic 80,000-seater San Siro Stadium.

Atalanta, who are playing in their first UEFA Champions League campaign, raced into a four-goal lead before Valencia's substitute, Denis Cheryshev, scored a consolation goal midway through the second half.

The 31-year-old, who was part of a travelling crew of Spanish journalists, carried on as he normally would, attending the game's press conference and dropping down to the mixed zone after the final whistle to interview some players. There had been just three confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Italy at the time of the game. 

Once he'd finished his reports for the game, he jumped back in his rental car, sleeping overnight in a small town outside Milan. He flew back to Valencia the next day, a Thursday. The weekend passed without incident, except for another heavy Valencia defeat—this time a 3-0 loss to Real Sociedad in La Liga.

That Monday afternoon, however, Mateu began noticing the first symptoms of a flu-like virus, including fatigue and a dry cough. When he woke up on Tuesday morning, he felt slightly worse. With more cases having been confirmed in Northern Italy at that time, he decided to get checked out. 

"I started to feel bad but nothing serious," says Mateu. "The typical symptoms when you have a cold—that you have your nose a little blocked and you generally feel a bit poorly."

"Just because I was in Milan, I thought it would be important to confirm that I did or didn't have the coronavirus instead of keeping on going, and going to work, as if nothing was happening, as normally I would do."

When Mateu phoned a 112 emergency line number to report his condition, he was told a medical unit would call out to test him. It never came. As he was still in limbo, and out of a sense of civic duty, he self-isolated for the rest of the day, along with his wife and their son, who stayed home from school.

On Wednesday morning, he phoned the emergency line again, stressing to the person on the other end that he had been in Milan. He was told their services were straining to cope with the number of calls they were receiving and that the medical unit would call out to him the next day, Thursday.

Faced with another 24-delay, Mateu decided to take action himself, going first to a private healthcare clinic (which wasn't equipped to test for the coronavirus) before eventually arriving at Valencia's University Hospital Clinic.

He was tested, and at 4:30 a.m. the following morning, Thursday, 27 February, he was confirmed as having the coronavirus. To alert others, he diligently sent messages to those he remembered being in contact with after his return from Milan a week earlier. He's been in isolation since his diagnosis.

"I am completely isolated," he said during a phone interview with B/R last Friday. "The people who are infected have to be totally isolated from other people. I suppose there might be other people with the coronavirus in the hospital here, but I don't know. I'm in lockdown. I have no information about what happens outside.

"I can't see anyone. Nobody can visit me, and I've been like this for nine days so far. What I feel above all is really bored. I have books to read, a tablet, and I can watch television, but after a while you just want to do something else—go out onto the street, go for a walk, go to the beach, breathe in some fresh air. I really miss all these things. Being isolated, if you don't feel bad or if you don't have symptoms, as I don't have any now, what you want is permission to go home.

"There are three or four doctors who treat me. Every day, they come to visit me—to see how I'm getting on, to explain to me exactly all the medical tests they are doing to me. The way I am now, they only come once a day—to confirm if I'm OK, and I don't see them again until the next day.

Mateu was the first to be diagnosed with COVID-19 in the province of Valencia. His background in the media and his willingness to speak about his experience both make him a notable voice in the coverage of the virus.

One of the things Mateu did once he became clinically isolated was to release a video on the Las Provincias website, describing his symptoms and the course of rest and treatment he'd been following. Salvador Illa, Spain's minister of health, applauded the public service broadcast.

Paracetamol (also known as acetaminophen) is the only medication Mateu has taken while in clinical isolation. He's in waiting mode. He doesn't know when he will be released.

"I would love to know, but nobody knows how long I will have to be here," he says (public health experts have been recommending a 14-day quarantine period)."When it's over, and after some time passes, I will remember it, sitting with my friends, having a beer, and I will laugh at the bad luck I had in getting infected.

"In the meantime, I want to send the message from here that people out there who might get it should stay calm—that it's a very mild illness, and that you can recuperate without any problems.

"I don't have fever. I'm not sneezing. I don't have any general discomfort. I feel good. The only thing I have is a dry cough—I had it from practically the first day. Before it was constant, but now I only have it once in a while.

Mateu understands however, that while his discomfort has been mild, symptoms can be much more serious and complicated for the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. 

In a statement released last Saturday after the 100,000th worldwide case of COVID-19 was confirmed, the World Health Organization reiterated that, "Every effort to contain the virus and slow the spread saves lives."

"We must stop, contain, control, delay and reduce the impact of this virus at every opportunity. Every person has the capacity to contribute, to protect themselves, to protect others, whether in the home, the community, the healthcare system, the workplace or the transport system," the statement added. 

On Tuesday, Mateu will watch Valencia's return leg against Atalanta on television, just like Valencia's football fans, as the game will be played behind closed doors at the Mestalla Stadium, following confirmation by UEFA. The move is a precautionary measure against the spread of COVID-19.

And it's in keeping with several global initiatives around sporting fixtures and matchday practices. These include, for example, a ban by UEFA on pre-match handshakes between players and officials. And there is some nervousness around the hosting of the Euro 2020 championships later in the summer. Serie A games have been suspended until April 3. La Liga in Spain is monitoring the situation.

And it's in keeping with several global initiatives around sporting fixtures and matchday practices. These include, for example, a ban by UEFA on pre-match handshakes between players and officials. And there is some nervousness around the hosting of the Euro 2020 championships later in the summer. Serie A games have been suspended until April 3. On Tuesday, La Liga in Spain also announced that its games will be played behind closed doors for at least the next two weeks.

“The La Liga measures follow the decision by the Spanish High Council of sports today that all competitions and sporting events in Spain, professional and non-professional, state and international level must be held behind closed doors. Public health is paramount,” says Joris Evers, La Liga's chief communications officer.

To learn more about the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, visit the World Health Organization website.

Follow Richard on Twitter: @Richard_Fitz

La Liga's next two matchdays will be played without fans amid the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Football journalist Dermot Corrigan relayed the news on Tuesday:

It follows the news that Barcelona's UEFA Champions League clash with Napoli on March 18 will be played behind closed doors at the Camp Nou. 

Per AS' Alfredo Matilla, the ruling could be extended.

Confirmed cases of COVID-19—the disease's official name—more than doubled from Sunday to Monday in Spain, rising from 589 to 1,204. The death toll also jumped by 20 from eight.

As a result of the increase, schools and universities in the Spanish capital, Madrid, will be closed from Wednesday in a bid to curb the spread of the virus.

Spain is the fourth-worst affected country in Europe after Italy, France and Germany, and seventh in the world after China, South Korea and Iran are also taken into account.

Italy, which is behind only China in the number of confirmed cases, placed itself under a countrywide lockdown on Monday.

Sporting events are suspended as part of the ban, so Serie A matches—some of which had been played behind closed doors over the previous two weekends—have been halted.

In La Liga, Barcelona moved two points ahead of Real Madrid over the weekend with a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad, while Los Blancos lost 2-1 at Real Betis.