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The Spanish La Liga nears the end of the season with just four games left. Barcelona leads in first place over second-place rivals Real Madrid. This Sunday, the Catalans will take on the Royal Whites to determine which team will inch closer to the La Liga title, in a game that could decide the rest of the season.
Catch El Clásico on May 11 at 10:15 AM ET between Barcelona and Real Madrid after analyzing my picks for the game to decide whether they’re something you want to fade or follow!
Barcelona would suffer heartbreak over the previous week with an overtime loss in the Champions League Semifinals 7-6 on aggregate against Inter Milan. Despite falling to Inter in the UEFA Tournament, the club has had a spectacular season, taking home the Spanish Copa del Rey trophy. They still lead in first place with 79 points and will look to extend that lead today with a potential win over their longtime rivals.
In 34 regular season matches, Barca boasts 25 wins, 4 draws and 5 losses, with a +58 goal differential, due to their ability to score 3+ goals a game regardless of how many their opponents score. Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski will hopefully return for the upcoming clash, as he leads La Liga with 25 goals in 31 games. Raphinha is having an immaculate season, netting 16 goals with several crucial game winners and 9 assists.
While Lewandowski has missed recent games due to injury, Ferran Torres has been the perfect fill-in for the Polishman, scoring 10 goals in 26 games as his temporary replacement. Dani Olmo has also been battling on-off injuries, yet still managed 9 goals in 21 matches, while superstar youngling Lamine Yamal has scored 6 goals in the domestic league so far, leading the league in assists with 12. While Barca are exhausted from two of their last four games heading to overtime, a win today will surely seal the La Liga trophy for the Catalans with a seven-point gap over Madrid with three games to go.
While Real Madrid are currently in-form, they suffered a heartbreak to Barcelona in the final minutes of overtime in the Copa del Rey Final. Although they are still strong contenders for the La Liga title, the Royal Whites have lost the last four confrontations against the Catalan squad, a rare statistic to surface in recent years of football. A slim 3-2 victory over Celta Vigo last weekend kept Madrid within 4 points of their Barca rivals, as they sit in second place with 75 points, leaving third place Atletico Madrid out of the title race.
A win today for the Royal Whites could be a turning point for the season, causing Barcelona to crumble to just a one-point lead with three games left. In 34 La Liga matches, Real Madrid has 23 wins, 6 draws and 5 losses, showcasing a 36-goal differential, the next highest overall in La Liga. Striker Kylian Mbappe has climbed out of the trenches this season to net 24 goals, with 2 in his last game, sitting behind Barca’s Robert Lewandowski by just 1 goal, as they’ll continue to battle it out for the top goal scorer “Pichichi” trophy.
Vinicius Junior doesn’t lack for too far behind either, with 11 goals and 5 assists in 28 games played for the Brazilian. Madrid has plenty of goal-scoring threats on the field, including Jude Bellingham from the midfield with 8 goals and 8 assists this season. If Madrid can capitalize on the tired legs of Barcelona and take chances at their high back line, Madrid could expose the same weaknesses Inter Milan did on Tuesday.
Spanish football doesn’t get much better than the El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, a game where anything can happen. It is tough to see Barcelona win five in a row against the Royal Whites, and although the Catalans are slightly favored, Madrid could completely capitalize on Barca’s tired legs and substitute outside backs when they attack their flanks.
Barcelona will surely score, as shutting them out is almost more of an accomplishment than winning. With Real’s center back Antonio Rudiger suspended for five more matches, Madrid must keep solid at the back against a fired-up Barcelona squad. It’s tough to decide, but this one may end in a good old draw, with at least one goal from Spanish youngster Lamine Yamal.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.