After losing points, FC Barcelona are twelve points behind the leaders from the capital. Only with a success at the Estadio Bernabeu on Sunday (9 p.m.) can the Blaugrana still have small hopes of winning the title. Given the starting position, the world would not end for Real even if they lost. However, this is not the claim of the merengues.
David Alaba is facing his second “Clasico”. The ÖFB star can remember the first with goodwill. At 2-1 in October last year, the Viennese shone as a goal scorer for the 1-0 lead and showed a strong performance overall. In the second duel of the season between the big clubs – a 3: 2 aet by Real in the semifinals of the Spanish Supercup played in Saudi Arabia – Alaba was missing. Before the game on Sunday, Real was worried about goalscorer Karim Benzema. The French are plagued by a calf injury.
Real and Barcelona have each registered four wins in a row. The prestige comparison will be a test, especially for Barca coach Xavi. Since taking over in mid-November, Barcelona have recovered, with the transfers of Ferran Torres, Adama Traore and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also playing a key role. With the league title looking out of reach, a top-four finish is all the more important for the financially struggling club to secure a ticket to the upcoming Champions League.
At Real, Carlo Ancelotti has been undisputed since the acclaimed promotion to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The Italian is heading for his first championship title in Spain. In his homeland, Ancelotti has already celebrated championships with Milan (2004), in England with Chelsea (2010), in France with PSG (2013) and in Germany with Bayern Munich (2017). Reals veteran Toni Kroos did not want to identify a favorite for the Clasico despite the position in the table. “You can’t say that one team has more quality than the other. There are two very good teams and it always depends on how they are on the day,” the German speculated.
Between Real and Barcelona there is still FC Sevilla, which is still a considerable ten points behind the leader. The Andalusians are at home against Real Sociedad on Sunday. Eleven rounds are still to be played in Spain.
Source: Nachrichten
