Barcelona will still lick their wounds from their Champions League semi-final exit to Inter, but has to put it firmly in their rear-view mirror for the Clasico.
The team of Hansi Flick welcomes Real Madrid on the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Company this Sunday, hoping close to the recovery of the Liga title.
Barca are four points free from Madrid with four more games of their season, knowing that a victory will achieve them in one victory of achieving a 28th top-flight title.
Barcelona won their last three games against Madrid in all competitions, only once in the entire history of Clasico, between 2008 and 2010 under Pep Guardiola (five), the Blaugrana managed four or more consecutive victories.
The Flick team, while competing in Europe, has also lost none of their last 15 LaLiga matches (W13 D2) since their 1-2 defeat against Atletico Madrid in December. They are not unbeaten in more consecutive games since a series of 19 between December 2020 and April 2021 (W16 D3).
Barca has already lifted the Copa del Rey after an exciting comeback victory in extra time against Los Blancos, and they will want to stack more misery on their rivals.
But they will have to find out their dramatic defeat to get behind them, returned from 2-0 to lead 3-2 in the 87th minute thanks to the sweet battle of Raphinha.
However, internal was matched by Francesco Acerbi in extra time to stay alive and then got the winner of replacement Davide Fratesi in extra time to anesthetize Barca.
21 -Raphinha has now matched the competitive record of Cristiano Ronaldo of 2013-14 of 21 target statements at a single UEFA Champions League campaign (13 goals, 8 assists). Balloon. #Intbar pic.twitter.com/fc6sf6sbzzwzwzwzwzwzzwijwijarieren
– Optajoe (@Optajoe) 6 May 2025
Barca will still be without defender Joules Kounde, the hero of their Copa del Rey win, with Robert Lewandowski and Alejandro still Balde their way to Fitness.
Despite their disappointing semi-final exit, Barca must have faith in the overthrow of Madrid, because they have dominated their arch rivals during this campaign.
This season they have won all three of their games against Madrid in all competitions, with a target difference of 12 scored goals and only four admittedly.
Only Barca itself, in the 1982-83 season (G5 W4 D1), has achieved more victories in a single campaign in the entire history of the Clasico.
And their success this season was led by their attack, with Lewandoski supported by Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Maestro Pedri in midfield.
Barca has indeed scored 91 goals in Laliga this period, their best attacking record after their first 34 games of the season since 2016-17 (101 goals).
In the meantime, Madrid has admitted 33 goals this season in the top flight, their worst defensive record in this phase of the campaign since 2018-19 (38 goals).
Madrid now travels to Barcelona several important starters because of an injury, including Eder Militao, Antonio Rudiger, Dani Carvajal and Eduardo Camavinga.
Carlo Ancelotti is in the spotlight with growing rumors that he is on his way from the Spanish capital to take over the empty track at the Brazilian national team.
But Madrid has often performed well against their rivals away from home.
They have won four of their last five road races against Barca in all competitions (L1) and achieve the same number of victories as in their previous 19 visits (W4 D7 L8).
Madrid has also won their last four LaLiga matches, but has not achieved five or more consecutive victories in the competition since a series of nine between March and May 2024.
Saturday's campaign will be closed in the Metropolitano when Atletico is in third place with Real Sociedad, who are 11th and are fighting for the European qualification this season.
The Diego Simeone team has not lost in their last 11 LABERA matches against Sociedad (W9 D2), since a 0-1 defeat in March 2013, scored exactly two goals in six of the last seven.
This match also has the team that has collected the most points from losing positions in LaLiga this season (Atletico, 23) against the team that has gathered the least (Real Sociedad, three).