Although Barcelona has already celebrated its La Liga title, the stakes are as high as ever ahead of this spring's edition of El Clasico. Real Madrid will almost certainly finish the season in second or third, but they'll be plenty motivated to keep Barcelona from joining the ranks of invincible soccer teams.
Yes, Cristiano Ronaldo’s bicycle kick against Juventus was very nice. And of course, that title-clinching hat-trick that Lionel Messi registered against Deportivo was very nice as well. But does that mean, with regards to Sunday’s El Clasico, that we should only focus on the 10-time Ballon d’Or winners?
The showdowns between Real Madrid and Barcelona, taking place at least twice per year, are the premier sporting events in Spain. Millions around the world tune in to watch the two richest teams in the world’s most popular sport face off in perhaps the world’s greatest rivalry. Earlier this week, we took a look at how the number of worldwide El Clasico viewers compared to the Super Bowl, the biggest event in Spain compared to the biggest event in the U.S.
Real Madrid and Barcelona play each other in El Clasico on Sunday, May 6th at 2:45 PM Eastern time. The first time these two giants met during the 2017/18 LaLiga season, the match kicked off at 4 AM Eastern time. We strongly believe that this will be the best way to spend your afternoon.
“The world is changed. I feel it in the water. I feel it in the earth. I smell it in the air. Much that once was is lost; for none now live who remember it.” -What middle-aged soccer fans will be saying come 2040
While there’s still work to be done to secure its historic “Invincibles” status (most notably Sunday’s El Clasico at the Camp Nou), Barcelona took time off to celebrate its league and cup double on Monday with an open-top bus victory parade through the heart of the city.
A Lionel Messi hat-trick — with all three goals being assisted by Luis Suarez — and a solitary strike from Philippe Coutinho lifted Barcelona to a 4-2 victory over Deportivo on Sunday, securing the club’s 25th La Liga title with four matches still to play.
Real Madrid could yet ruin Barca’s unbeaten domestic campaign in next Sunday’s El Clasico, but a seventh La Liga title in 10 years was a fitting reward for a club that’s currently gone through 34 match days unbeaten (26 wins and 8 draws).
In the midst of a huge clash with Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinals, Real Madrid rested a number of its regular starters for a home match against Leganes, mired in 16th place in LaLiga. The result was an uninspiring 2-1 win for Los Blancos on Saturday at the Bernabeu, one in which the visitors easily could’ve nipped a draw. The Gareth Bale goal vs Leganes was a perfect microcosm of the match for Real Madrid.
Today — Friday, April 27, 2018 — Andres Iniesta confirmed in a press conference at Barcelona’s Ciutat Esportiva that this would well and truly be his final season at the club.