Primera Liga round-up

Both Barcelona and Real Madrid returned to winning ways on Saturday as they registered comprehensive victories in the Primera Liga. Click the links below for individual match stats Athletic Bilbao 1 Villarreal 1

Barca dealt Afellay blow

Barcelona midfielder Ibrahim Afellay faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a serious knee injury. Afellay sustained the knee injury in training on Thursday after only recently returning to action after suffering a hamstring problem in pre-season. Scans have confirmed Afellay has torn the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and he faces up to six months out of action. It means Afellay will miss the majority of Barcelona's campaign as well as the remainder of Holland's Euro 2012 qualifiers. The news is a major blow for Afellay as he looked to push for a regular place in Pep Guardiola's star-studded line-up.

Xavi - Cesc has helped me

Barcelona midfielder Xavi believes the arrival of Cesc Fabregas has helped him improve his game. Xavi is widely-regarded as one of the world's best in the middle of the field, helping the Catalan giants win no less than six league titles. It had been thought Fabregas' arrival could limit Xavi's playing time, but the duo work well together according to the 31-year-old. There are very few things Xavi can learn about football, although he believes the re-signing of Fabregas has taken his game to a new level. "We are very comfortable together on the pitch. I think we complement each other quite well," explained Xavi. "If he goes forward I stay back and cover for him or vice versa. We have shown that many times this year. I think Cesc improves my football."

Ronaldo rules out Barca

Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo insists he could never join Liga rivals Barcelona, regardless of the circumstances. The ex-Manchester United man is currently in talks to extend his Santiago Bernabeu stay for the remainder of his career. The world's most expensive footballer never likes closing doors on opportunities, but has ruled out ever making the Camp Nou switch. Real have fallen into Barcelona's shadow in recent seasons, however, the Portugal international is ready for the challenge of taking them on. "I would not rule out any club, but I could never see myself joining Barcelona," he told RTP 1. "I'm close to signing a new deal to stay at Real for the rest of my life without any problems. "Real is one of the best teams in the world with great pressure on the players. I can see that in the streets, but I'm not afraid of failure." Real have not won the UEFA Champions League trophy since the 2002 season and Ronaldo is determined to make amends this time around. "It's amazing to see Real has gone so long without winning the trophy. I intend to change that this season," he continued.

Mourinho defends Real brawl

Jose Mourinho has accused the media of unfairly criticising Real Madrid for brawling after commending the Spain squad for the same behaviour. The Portuguese boss is still stinging from Sunday's shock 1-0 defeat to Levante, during which Sami Khedira was sent off for a second yellow card imposed for shoving during an on-field fracas. Real have come under fire in the press for that scuffle, which Mourinho feels is hypocritical given the reaction to a similar incident when Spain met Chile earlier this month. "I don't know if what Khedira did can be called a brawl. To me it was not a brawl," the coach said. "A brawl is what happened in Spain-Chile and you said it was spectacular, incredible, that it showed the team spirit, that it showed tremendous character and that the players were like brothers. "Real Madrid does it and, well, we are a group of bandits." Brawl The Spain incident Mourinho referred to occured on September 2nd, when angry Chilean players sparked a brawl at the final whistle in Switzerland after the world champions battled back from two goals down to win 3-2. The manager said he was shocked at Khedira's sending off because he is a "very, very, very calm player." "He is one of the last I would have expected it from. But he did it and there is the sanction. The team played with 10, the team lost and tomorrow he won't play, that's the sanction," he added. "He does not deserve any other sanction. Tomorrow after the match his sanction ends and he is a player like any other. "He is one of the players I don't even worry about because I don't think he will do it again. He does not have that profile of an adversarial player."

Pellegrini keen to stay at Malaga

Manuel Pellegrini has declared that he wants to end his career at his current club Malaga. Malaga have made a bright start to the Primera Liga campaign which has injected a fresh shot of confidence into the club. Pellegrini has previously coached some of the world's biggest teams in Real Madrid and River Plate, but the job at Malaga has again whetted his appetite for the game. Contract "I don't only want to get to the end of my contract, I also want to end my career at Malaga," he told Spanish radio station Candena Ser. "I would be very happy if I was able to do that and if I could lead them to the highest level of European football." Pellegrini wants to build success steadily at the club and insists he will not put on due pressure on himself to make Malaga a formidable outfit overnight. "I do have a wish and that is to do something special here," he added. If it's not this year then it may be the next."

La Liga round-up

Valencia went top of La Liga, whilst Barcelona fired eight past Osasuna. Click below for match facts: Barcelona 8-0 Osasuna Granada 1-0 Villarreal Real Mallorca 0-1 Malaga Sevilla 1-0 Real Sociedad Sporting Gijon 0-1 Valencia Unai Emery's side maintained their perfect start to the new season with a 1-0 win at Sporting Gijon. The only goal of the game at El Molinon arrived after half-an-hour with Roberto Soldado firing home. It was somewhat easier for Barcelona at Camp Nou, as they demolished Osasuna 8-0. Lionel Messi opened the scoring after just five-minutes and he went on to complete his hat-trick. The brilliant Argentine also also created further goals for Cesc Fabregas and Xavi, whilst David Villa bagged a brace. The other goal came courtesy of Brazilian Roversio who put through his own net. La Liga new boys Granada claimed their first win of the season with a 1-0 win over Villarreal. Ikechukwu Uche scored the winner just after the break, but the visitors wasted a golden opportunity to claim an equaliser with Giuseppe Rossi missing a penalty with ten-minutes left. Big spending Malaga made it back to back wins with a 1-0 success at Real Mallorca. The only goal in the Balearics arrived just before half-time when Argentine Martin Demichelis scored. The late game, saw Sevilla maintain their unbeaten start to the new season with a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. The only goal arrived just into the second-half with Fredi Kanoute firing home. The win takes Sevilla into third.