Every now and then the stars align and, when that happens it can be football heaven for players, coaches, fans and even club owners.
And the next six days could be one of those weeks for Hansi Flick’s Barcelona as they have two gigantic dates to look forward to in domestic and European football. The La Liga table has a lovely look about if you are a Blaugrana fan as Barca sit four points clear of Real Madrid in second, with the small matter of El Clasico in Catalonia is on the agenda next Sunday 11th May.
Anything other than a Los Blancos win will surely mean Flick’s men will lift the Primera Division title; even a defeat will leave the Blaugrana a point ahead and the SBOTOP
La Liga 2025 betting odds say that is an unlikely outcome. Before the El Clasico there is another huge clash awaiting in the European flagship competition. Barcelona’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Inter Milan was a classic, as Barca twice came from behind to draw 3-3 and on Tuesday the two teams will get it on again, in Milan. I Nerazzurri must feel their best chance has passed as they led 2-0 in the first leg and Flick’s men are now the clear favourites to finish the job.
With the Supercoppa and Copa Del Rey in the bank already, the quadruple is still on for Barcelona.
And there is no sign of the league leaders losing their nerve as they navigated a tricky visit away to Real Valladolid on Saturday, winning 2-1. The hosts took a surprise lead when a deflected Ivan Sanchez cross evaded the returning Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but Barcelona hit back through the red-hot Raphinha, who half-volleyed in from a Lamine Yamal cross; and then Fermin Lopez who hit a rocket from distance to secure another three vital points.
This is a team brimming with confidence and the 17-year-old Yamal is already attracting comparisons with the legendary Barca man Lionel Messi. He is his own player of course, but Yamal is surely destined for greatness. And while Raphinha has had a superb season, the other player ripping up the Primera Division is midfield ace Pedri, who seems to have put his injuries behind him to become another of the best players on the planet.
One more chance for Los Blancos to get it right
At the start of the 2024/25 campaign, there was a lot of support for the theory that Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid would be the most likely team to sweep up in Spain and maybe in Europe too. But defeat to Barca in the Copa del Rey final and a humbling handed out by Arsenal in the Champions League has left Los Blancos’ campaign looking distinctly shaky, with La Liga being the club’s last chance of silverware.
Los Blancos trailed Barcelona by seven points when they kicked off against Celta Vigo on Sunday but they responded well as Arda Guller scored a stunning opener before Kylian Mbappe helped himself to a brace. With a 3-0 lead Madrid were coasting but second half goals from Javi Rodriguez and Williot Swedberg left Ancelotti’s team hanging on for the win and, after defeats to Arsenal and Barca in the recent memory the second half collapse was the last thing they needed. Wide man Federico Valverde was critical of his team’s resilience saying: “These disconnects can not keep happening. They have happened many times in the league and the Champions League, we must improve. El Clasico is our last chance, the most important game of the season.
His manager agrees that the clash at Montjuic is a decisive match and he is trying to stay optimistic, saying: “We’re going to have a great opportunity. We have to prepare well.”
But Ancelotti must know the cards are heavily stacked against his team. Four wins from the last eight in all competitions is a poor return at this stage of the season and, in all honesty, things have not been quite right from the start. The marquee signing of Mbappe took time to have a positive effect as the team looked a little unbalanced in the early weeks. Then there have been disciplinary issues, Anton Rudiger the latest to see red in the Copa del Rey final, and that amidst accusations that Real Madrid had used its own club media to try to influence referees.
It’s now or never for Los Blancos or they will end a campaign, which promised plenty, entirely potless. They need a perfect set of La Liga 2025 results, and the way Barcelona are currently playing I can’t really see a way out for Ancelotti’s men.
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