El Clásico: Barça could secure the Liga title against Real Madrid
If Ernesto Valverde's side win their next six games the title could be secured in Riazor, opening up the possibility of a guard of honour in Camp Nou on May 6.
Barcelona fans are rubbing their hands together with glee at a prospect the fixture list has thrown up this season: with the Clásico against Real Madrid in the Camp Nou scheduled on May 6, Ernesto Valverde’s side could under a certain set of circumstances secure the 2017-18 Liga title on home turf against their bitter rivals.
Another possibility is that Barça could go into the Clásico with the Liga title already sewn up a week before, obliging Real Madrid to put on a guard of honour as Valverde’s side take to the pitch in front of their fans.
Adding a little spice to the prospect is the refusal of Barcelona to offer a guard of honour to Madrid in the Bernabéu Clásico in December after Real Madrid had returned from their triumphant Club World Cup campaign – although the accepted practice is that a side only offers the tribute to another team if they have been competing against each other in the same competition.
Barça 16 points away from 2017-18 Liga title
With nine rounds of Liga action remaining and 27 points left in play, Atlético can reach a total of 91 points if Diego Simeone’s side win all of their remaining games. Barça, currently on 75 points, require another 16 to be mathematically crowned champions. If Valverde’s side win their next six games and Atlético do the same, Barça can seal the title against Deportivo in Riazor on the weekend of April 28-29. However, if Barça drop two points before the Clásico or a combination of results for Atlético and the champions-elect conspires to leave them short before May 6, Valverde and his players could celebrate the league title with victory over Real Madrid at Camp Nou.
Barça remain unbeaten this season with 23 wins and six draws and are now just two games away from breaking the Liga record for consecutive undefeated matches of 38 set by Real Sociedad between 1978 and 1980.
Valverde could trump Mourinho's Liga points record
If Valverde’s side emerge from the Sánchez Pizjuán after the international break unscathed and do not suffer defeat at the hands of Leganés in Camp Nou a week later they will have gone 31 games this season without tasting defeat to add to a run of seven straight wins at the end of 2016-17 under Luis Enrique.
Another record in Barcelona’s sights is that of total points accrued in a Liga season. If they win all of their remaining nine matches Valverde’s side will end the season on 102 points, beating the current mark of 100 set by José Mourinho’s Real Madrid in 2011-12 and Barça under Tito Vilanova a year later.
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