Barcelona suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at the hands of relegation threatened Real Vallodolid this afternoon, a result which will provide Manchester City with renewed optimism ahead of their Champions League clash on Wednesday. 


Fausto Rossi scored the games only goal, as the hosts picked up a crucial win to help them move out of the bottom three, with the result denting Barcelona's title hopes.

Despite dominating possession, Barca were unable to respond after falling behind after 17 minutes, and were largely disappointing throughout as they stumbled to a second successive away defeat in La Liga.

Atletico Madrid have the chance to leapfrog the reigning champions into second place when they play Celta Viga later today, meanwhile first place Real Madrid will look to extend their lead at the top when they host Levante tomorrow evening.

The Spanish giants will look to put this result behind them in midweek when they welcome Manchester City to the Nou Camp for the second leg of their last 16 Champions League clash.

The English side find themselves with a mountain to climb after a 2-0 defeat in the first leg, with away goals from Lionel Messi and Dani Alves leaving the tie firmly in Barca's hands, although City may well draw encouragement from today's result.