La Liga: This El Clasico Just Got Even Bigger

Barcelona vs Real Madrid

With four games to play, the La Liga title race will reach a thrilling climax on Sunday afternoon when El Clasico kicks off at the Estadio Olimpico de Montjuic at 4-15pm local time. 

Barcelona’s week of destiny took a turn for the worse on Tuesday night when the Catalans crashed out of the Champions League, losing 7-6 on aggregate to Inter Milan after taking a lead into the second leg injury time. That devastating loss ended the Blaugrana’s hopes of a quadruple. They already have the Copa del Rey and Supercoppa in the trophy cabinet, and now Hansi Flick’s men need to see the job through and win a 28^th league title and a fifth in the last 10 campaigns.

The Blaugrana are four points ahead of Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid and have a much better goal difference, so even a defeat would leave Barca’s domestic destiny in their own hands, and the latest La Liga 2025 betting odds say they are not about to collapse. 

Real Madrid stumbled to a messy 3-2 win over Celta Vigo last week to keep the title race alive, while Barcelona won away at Real Valladolid, and so this El Clasico promises to be yet another classic. 

 

Talking Points

Can Flick pick up his Barca boys?

Losing the Champions League semi-final to Inter Milan means Barcelona’s quadruple plan has slipped through their fingers, but the manner in which they went out must be more heartbreaking for the players and fans.

After fighting back from two goals down to level the first leg at 3-3, the Blaugrana went into the second leg as favourites to reach the final and probably go on to the win the tournament. It seemed like history was repeating itself when I Nerazzurri raced into a two-goal lead again at the San Siro by the halftime break. But then, goals from Eric Garcia and Dani Olmo levelled the scores before Raphinha fired home on 87 minutes to send the visiting fans crazy.

But their celebrations were short lived as an injury time goal from Francesco Acerbi and then an extra-time strike from Davide Frattesi broke the Catalans’ hearts. Barcelona had chances to level again, but the Italians stood firm, and the Blaugrana finished on a staggering 43 goals in the tournament, two short of the record of 45 they set a quarter of a century ago in 2000.

Now, Flick’s task is to lift his players for another huge game, but they received a boost on Tuesday with the return from injuries of top scorer Robert Lewandowski, who has 25 league goals for the campaign, and key centre-back Ronald Araujo.               

 

Mbappe’s Pichichi motivation 

Los Blancos have been dysfunctional at times this season, not least when they almost threw away a three-goal lead at home to Celta Vigo last week. And at the start of the campaign, it took summer marquee signing Kylian Mbappe a while to settle down in Madrid. But there is no doubting the Frenchman’s quality and, with 24 goals, he is breathing down Lewandowski’s neck in the race for the Pichichi trophy for top scorer, having played a game fewer than the lethal Pole.    

Mbappe is nothing if not ambitious in his personal achievements, and to win a Golden Boot in one of Europe’s premier leagues would be another validation of his status of one of the world’s best players. His and Lewy’s performances this weekend will be under extra scrutiny in the La Liga 2025 highlights, which adds yet more spice to the contest.

Look out too for resurgent attacking midfielder Jude Bellingham, who has weighed in with eight goals and seven assists this season and is nearing his best form again.

 

History

The Blaugrana have enjoyed the better of the El Clasico head-to-heads, winning 42 to Madrid’s 29, and the Catalans have triumphed in the last four, including this year’s Supercoppa and Copa finals.   

In terms of recent form, both have won four from six games with Barca slipping up in Europe. Los Blancos lost the Copa final to Barca, ending up with three red cards at the final whistle, and Ancelotti’s men have also crashed out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage against Arsenal.  

 

Betting Tip

With the visitors at SBOTOP odds of 2.94 to win and the draw at 3.55, this clash to end all clashes could go any which way, but I’m backing the Blaugrana to bounce back and take a firm grip on the title race. For an alternative bet, Over 3.50 at 2.01 and a 3-2 win to Barca at 15.42 both caught my eye.

   

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