Barcelona have good and bad news ahead of El Clásico
Barcelona go into El Clásico with one thing on their mind: a win means they claim the LaLiga title.
Barcelona head into the Clásico weekend knowing that anything other than a defeat means they will claim their 29th league title, and this one quite literally in the face of Real Madrid.
It would be the first time in Spanish football history that one of the two Clásico teams have won the world’s biggest football match which has directly led to the league title being handed to one of them.
The last time something similar happened was back in the 1930s, when Real Madrid drew with Barcelona to win LaLiga instead of Athletic Club, who finished in second place.
However, the challenge will not be an easy one, even if Real Madrid’s training ground is metaphorically on fire, with player squabbles dominating the headlines over the past 72 hours. FC Barcelona will be without their key attacker, Lamine Yamal, who is still recovering from an injury and has his gaze firmly fixed on being ready for the World Cup.
The player went down in a game against Celta de Vigo, and it was later confirmed that the player had suffered a hamstring injury, keeping him out for over a month.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente recently spoke about his recovery, saying “I am sure he will [be back at his best for the World Cup], God willing. The most important thing is to arrive all healthy.”
On the other wing, Barcelona have received a huge boost, with Raphinha set to see some minutes on the pitch after making the previous squad list against CA Osasuna. He had missed the last 6 games for Barcelona, including two season-defining games against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League.
His impact in the Clásico is especially dangerous from a Real Madrid point of view: in 12 official games against Los Blancos, he has scored a total of 7 goals. In terms of goals scored versus minutes against a particular team, they are his favourite opponent to play against in a Barcelona shirt.
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