Barcelona would have had high hopes of at least reaching the final of this season’s Champions League, especially after defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 away from home in the first leg of their quarter-final tie. However, a capitulation at the Estadi Olimpic meant that they exited the competition in very disappointing fashion.
It means that Barcelona’s chances of winning a trophy this season are now incredibly slim. La Liga is the only competition left for them, and currently, they are eight points adrift of Real Madrid in the title race, with only seven matches left to be played.
But the two teams meet at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday for the final Clasico of the season, which is bound to be a great day for sports betting users. It promises to be a fantastic spectacle for avoid onlookers too, with the big two in La Liga going head-to-head for third time in the 2023-24 campaign.
On the previous two occasions, Real Madrid emerged victorious: 2-1 at the Estadi Olimpic in October, and 4-1 in the Spanish Super Cup final in January. Barcelona are aiming for their first victory of the season against their bitter rivals, and they need it, otherwise the La Liga title race will be all-but over.
Xavi Hernandez’s side have been in very good form over the last three months. The defeat to PSG on Tuesday was their first defeat in 14 matches across all competitions, and in La Liga, they remain unbeaten in their last 10 games, winning eight of those. However, their biggest test will come on Sunday, against a Real Madrid side that have only lost twice in 45 over the entire season (both times to Atletico Madrid).
Further to that, Los Blancos are unbeaten at the Bernabeu this season, so Barcelona would need to end that streak if they were to close the gap in the title race. However, it’s not impossible that they do, given that they ended a similar run held by Atleti, who they defeated 3-0 at the Civitas Metropolitano last month.
Simply put, Barcelona will need to deliver a 10/10 performance in order to defeat Real Madrid on Sunday. Los Blancos will be right up for the match, as they will be aware that a victory for them would realistically secure the La Liga title for them – they’d be 11 points clear with 18 to play for.
It’s safe to say that the majority of the pressure for this Clasico is on Barcelona, as they need to win, whereas Real Madrid can afford to draw. There’s no doubt that anything less than three points would effectively end their season with still weeks to go until it officially comes to an end.
By Alejandro Fernandez