Barcelona and Real Madrid expect key players to be available for Spanish league play this weekend, with Andres Iniesta set to return to the Spanish champion’s squad Saturday against winless Racing Santander.

Iniesta is training again after injuring his left leg in a Champions League game against AC Milan last month and the Spain international’s return could give Barcelona a boost with Cesc Fabregas, Alexis Sanchez and Ibrahim Afellay all injured.

Barcelona is joint-top of the table with early season surprise Levante, which plays Malaga on Sunday.

A judge has ordered an investigation into Spain’s Civil Guard for irregularities in its management of a doping case involving world steeplechase champion Marta Dominguez.

Judge Mercedes Perez ruled Friday that police did not follow correct procedures in Operation Galgo, which led to Dominguez being among 14 people detained in December. She was cleared of doping and trafficking charges in July.

A Spanish oil tanker that was hijacked by pirates off West Africa 10 days ago was freed Saturday and the 23-member crew is OK, its owner said.

No ransom was paid for the release of the Cypriot-flagged Mattheos I, although pirates who seized it stole as much as they could of the diesel fuel it was carrying as cargo, said Consultores de Navegacion spokeswoman Sheena Campbell.

Real Madrid says its revenues increased by 8 percent over the 2010-11 season to reach a record figure of nearly half a billion euros.

The world’s richest club says it earned ?480.2 million ($663 million) for a net gain of ?31.6 million ($43.6 million) from a season when it won the Copa del Rey. The net profit margin was up from ?24 million ($33 million) the season before. More >

The International Olympic Committee has confirmed the six cities that will bid to host the 2020 Olympic Games.

The cities hoping to take on the Olympic torch from Rio de Janeiro in 2016 include Baku (Azerbaijan), Doha (Qatar), Istanbul (Turkey), Madrid (Spain), Rome (Italy) and Toyko (Japan).

All six applicants have fulfilled the IOC’s prerequisite criteria, and will now proceed to Phase One of the two-step process – which will see the IOC survey each city’s infrastructure and technical ability to host the biggest sporting event in the world.

Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan has not travelled to Portugal for Thursday’s Europa League clash with Guimaraes as he ponders a move away from the Spanish club.

The 32-year-old Uruguay international has been linked with a transfer to Inter Milan, who on Tuesday reached agreement with Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala for the sale of Cameroon frontman Samuel Eto’o.

The Rojiblancos take a 2-0 lead into the second leg of their play-off tie but will be without Forlan, with coach Gregorio Manzano believing it was in the team’s best interests for Forlan not to make the trip.

Violence flared last night as a demonstration against the Pope’s arrival in Madrid turned ugly.

Anti-Pope protesters marched on the Spanish capital’s central Sol plaza to voice their concerns about the 50 million euro price tag of the four-day trip. More >

A papal visit to Madrid this month to greet hundreds of thousands of young Roman Catholics has revived a bitter debate about the role of the Church in Spanish politics and angered secular protesters who say their websites were being censored this week.

Pope Benedict XVI arrives on August 18 to celebrate World Youth Day in the Spanish capital, where supporters from all over the world have already started to gather for a series of celebrations and public appearances that will close some city centre avenues for up to six days.

Riot police armed with batons clashed with protesters demonstrating against the government’s economic policies, and seven officers were injured, officials said Friday. More >