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MADRID -- Barcelona players are unusually downbeat ahead of one of their most important games of the season.The Catalan club will enter the first clasico of the season against Real Madrid filled with doubts after a couple of disappointing performances in the Spanish league.Barcelona was outplayed throughout the 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad on Sunday for its second consecutive setback in the league. It had also been held to a 0-0 home draw against Malaga in the previous round.The results left the two-time champions six points behind Madrid ahead of Saturdays much-anticipated game at Camp Nou.It was a day when very few things worked, Barcelona defender Gerard Pique said after the draw against Sociedad. The team didnt play in the first half. We improved in the second, but it will be very difficult to win La Liga playing like this.Sundays performance left Enrique welcoming the draw, while admitting that Barcelona was dominated by its opponent, something that doesnt happen very often to the European powerhouse.We played our worst match of the season. The opponents were far superior, he said. Football is so special that we almost won with a chance ... but it wouldnt have been fair.Barcelona escaped an even worse result because a second-half goal by Sociedad was incorrectly disallowed for offside. The hosts also were denied by the woodwork twice near the end of the game.When an opponent plays better we have to admit it, Barcelona defender Jordi Alba said.Enrique said things must change for the clasico, when a loss would leave Barcelona nine points behind Madrid and in a difficult position to try to win the title for a third straight time. Even a draw would not be a good result considering the rivals advantage.We are still in the 13th round, you cant discount the two-time defending champions. There is still a long way to go, Enrique said. We will play against the leader and the direct matchups could be decisive. We will be at home and things will be different.Barcelona lost to Madrid the last time the teams played at Camp Nou, a result that brought Madrid back into the title hunt with only a few rounds left last season. The loss also put an end to Barcelonas 39-game unbeaten streak.Now its Madrid coming in with the league lead and an unbeaten run. Zinedine Zidanes team hasnt lost in 31 matches, dating back to a 2-0 setback at Wolfsburg in the Champions league last season.The game against Madrid is one everybody wants to win, Alba said. If we win it, we are right back in the fight for La Liga.Before the clasico, Barcelona makes its Copa del Rey debut by playing at Hercules in the first leg of the competitions round of 32 on Wednesday. Luis Enrique is expected to rest nearly all of his top players.Madrid plays the second leg against Cultural Leonesa on the same day and is also expected to play with second-stringers. It won the first game 7-1.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni NMD R1 Womens Canada . One game after a miserable showing in Oklahoma City, Gay tied a career high with 41 points and the Sacramento Kings cruised to a 114-97 victory at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday night. Cheap NMDs Canada . After a first half in which he thought "the lid was on the basket," the Toronto Raptors coach watched his squad mount a second half surge to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 98-91. http://www.nmdshoescanada.com/ . Defencemen Drew Doughty, Shea Weber and forward Ryan Getzlaf also scored for the Canadians, who started their gold-medal defence 2-0. Goalie Roberto Luongo, getting the call in place of Game 1 starter Carey Price, was solid when needed in making 23 saves for the shutout. Ultra Boost Canada Restock . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. Ultra Boost 19 Sale Canada . Numbers Game looks into the Canadiens securing the services of Thomas Vanek in a trade with the New York Islanders. The Canadiens Get: LW Thomas Vanek and a conditional fifth-round pick. HOUSTON -- Greg Ward Jr. threw for a career-high 389 yards and accounted for five touchdowns in just more than three quarters to help sixth-ranked Houston beat Connecticut 42-14 on Thursday night.The victory was a bit of redemption for the Cougars, whose only loss last season came in a 20-17 defeat by the Huskies when they were 10-0.Ward didnt start that game because of an ankle injury, and there was a scary moment early in the second quarter when he took a hard hit in the midsection by Junior Joseph on a flea-flicker and had to leave the game.But he missed just one play before returning and showed no ill effects from the blow, leading the Cougars (5-0, 2-0 American) on three more touchdown drives in the half to leave Houston up 28-7 at halftime.Ward and Joseph got in each others faces after another hit by the linebacker on a touchdown throw by Ward later in the second quarter, and it earned Joseph an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.Ward had touchdown runs of 30 and 10 yards and threw scoring passes of 3, 15 and 4 yards. He was replaced by Kyle Postma with 12 minutes remaining.Linell Bonner had a highlight-reel play when he stretched out to grab a reception with one hand for a touchdown that pushed Houstons lead to 42-7 in the third quarter. He fiinished with 12 receptions for 159 yards -- both career highs.ddddddddddddNoel Thomas had a career-high 135 yards receiving and a touchdown for Connecticut (2-3, 0-2), and Bryant Shirreffs threw for 239 yards and ran for a TD.The Cougars werent slowed by playing without three starters on Thursday. Running back Duke Catalon and linebacker Tyus Bowser both missed the game with head injuries and coach Tom Herman sat linebacker Matthew Adams for reasons the team said Herman would address after the game.THE TAKEAWAYCONNECTICUT: The Huskies didnt commit any turnovers after being plagued by them in recent weeks, but they were simply overmatched by the Cougars on both sides of the ball.HOUSTON: The Cougars continued the dominance theyve shown all season, having no trouble putting away the Huskies after last years misstep. With Ward leading the offense and a swarming defense which finished with four sacks, its hard to imagine that anyone has much of a chance to beat the Cougars before their Nov. 17 showdown with No. 3 Louisville,UP NEXTCONNECTICUT: The Huskies host Cincinnati on Oct. 8.HOUSTON: The Cougars visit Navy on Oct. 8. ' ' '