Real madrid
Barcelona ditching Suarez was a 'huge mistake': Forlan
On Sunday, they face Real Madrid, who are five points behind having played a game more, and who have scoring problems of their own, this weekend without the...
The French left-back's curling effort came four minutes from time in a last 16, first leg clash in which the hosts had to play a man down for over 70 minutes, giving Zinedine Zidane's side the advantage heading into the second leg in Madrid on 16 March.
If there is a need for perspective - that the speed of the fall is in part due to the heights previously reached - Spain's dominance in Europe has also been receding for some time.
Atletico had the chance to stretch their lead to 11 points this week by winning back-to-back games against Levante but instead, they followed a 1-1 draw on Wednesday with a surprise 2-0 loss, meaning a five-point advantage became only six.
Zidane's deal expires in 2022, with the Frenchman's future under scrutiny given Madrid's disappointing form in La Liga this season.
Eden Hazard is expected to be out for around a month, meaning he would miss Madrid's first leg away at Atalanta in the Champions League on February 24.
Perez's positive test comes after Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane also tested positive last month.
La Liga's reigning champions lost 2-1 to Alcoyano, who scored a remarkable winner in extra-time after having a man sent off.
Benzema, 33, who has not been selected for his country since the affair came to light in 2015, is accused of paying individuals to extort money from Valbuena by threatening to make the video public.
Bayern Munich, who beat PSG in the 2020 final, play Lazio in the knockout phase while 2012 winners Chelsea have a tough task against Atletico Madrid.
Heading into the last round of matches, Gladbach are surprise leaders in Group B, a point ahead of both Shakhtar Donetsk and Real, who are third.
Liverpool were without a host of key players for the visit of Ajax to Anfield in Group D, with 22-year-old Irishman Caoimhin Kelleher starting in goal in the absence of Alisson.
The Belgium international was substituted after just 28 minutes of Saturday's 2-1 home loss to Alaves, as Real were beaten for the third time in La Liga this season.
On a night when clubs marked news of the death of Diego Maradona by holding a minute's silence in memory of the Argentine before all Champions League games, Bayern eased to a record-extending 15th straight win in the competition.
On a prolific night across Europe which also saw a rampant Borussia Moenchengladbach hit six in Ukraine, the star individual performances came from Jota and Alassane Plea.
Karim Benzema and Fede Valverde made the win secure before Huesca scored through David Ferreiro, only for Benzema to add his second and Madrid's fourth in injury-time.
Madrid's 3-1 victory over Barcelona in the Clasico on Saturday swerved a third consecutive defeat after losses to Cadiz in La Liga and Shakhtar Donetsk.
Madrid's win earns them a six-point lead over the Catalans in the table, albeit having played one game more.
Madrid and their coach head to Camp Nou under pressure after consecutive defeats to Cadiz in La Liga and Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League.