Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are approaching the final third of the season with practically equal chances of winning the league, although it is true that the Catalans have a head start. The Catalans have 66 points while Madrid have 63. Both are due to play each other in May, which could make things much clearer in the domestic championship.
FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, a very close head-to-head for the league win
With the last two victories of both – that of Real Madrid over Leganés and that of FC Barcelona over Girona – we have to go back to the 2020/2021 season to see a year closer at the top of the table. Then, Atletico Madrid were in first place (66 points), with FC Barcelona and Real Madrid one and three points behind the leader, respectively.
On this occasion, with the rojiblancos almost out of the fight for victory after drawing with Espanyol and nine points behind the leaders, everything would indicate that the long-distance race between the azulgranas and the blancos could well be decided at the Lluís Companys stadium on 11th May. Why? Because that is where the Clásico of Spanish football will be played.
FC Barcelona will have to pay special attention to four matches: Betis, Real Madrid, Villarreal and Athletic
Starting with the leaders, FC Barcelona, Hansi Flick’s team has a very demanding schedule ahead of them. Because as well as maintaining their lead, they will have to do the same to hold on to two competitions, the Cup and the Champions League. So, a total of 11 possible matches in the next 30 days in case they eliminate Atlético in the Copa del Rey and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League await the Azulgrana team until the end of April.
The next fixture after the win against Girona will be against Atlético. It will take place next Wednesday at the Metropolitano. It will be the next stop on a relentless calendar in which there will be no time for full-intensity training sessions. The plan, which is also similar for Real Madrid, will be almost always the same: match, recovery session and pre-match.
It will be almost a game every three days with many fronts open and the alarms sounding among the physical trainers in the dressing room to detect with GPS any indicator of fatigue that will recommend to Flick the need to make rotations, sometimes complicated by the stature of the opponent and how much will be at stake.
And another key factor will be the game itself. And Flick’s players are the ones who have been playing the best throughout the whole season. They started in the best possible way, at the end of the year they dropped their level, but now they are back up to cruising speed. And that is why they are back in first place at this key moment in the season. From here on, with LaLiga as the first of the objectives, FC Barcelona will have to be especially attentive to the duels against Betis, Real Madrid and Villarreal at Montjuïc, but also against Espanyol and Athletic away from the Camp Nou. In between, they will have, a priori, the easiest ones against Leganés at Butarque, and those against Celta de Vigo and Mallorca at home, as well as the trip to Valladolid.
Real Madrid’s most difficult matches: Athletic, FC Barcelona, Sevilla and Real Sociedad
In the case of Real Madrid, although also very demanding, they have a league schedule against teams that, although they may be more accessible, any scare becomes important. All the more so knowing that there are only 9 matchdays left until the end of the domestic championship.
Ancelotti’s team, on the other hand, have difficult matches against Athletic and Valencia at the Santiago Bernabéu, and against FC Barcelona and Sevilla away from Madrid. They will also have to play Alavés and Getafe away from home, but also host Real Sociedad, Celta de Vigo and Mallorca. In between, the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal, which could also further shake up the possibilities and the mood for the subsequent LaLiga fixtures.
Numerous players have complained about the overload of matches on the calendar, which is closely related to the high number of long-term injuries that footballers are suffering. So far this season, 37 cruciate ligament tears have been recorded in the five major European leagues, and the total number of injuries has increased by 34% compared to the previous season.