Is the LaLiga title race over?
Photo by Sky Sports
FC Barcelona’s victory against Real Madrid this Sunday at the Spotify Camp Nou has left Los Blancos 12 points behind in the title race. There are 12 fixtures left in LaLiga, which means there 36 points left for both teams to play for before the final whistle. Mathematically, there are possibilities for both teams, to win or lose but Xavi’s squad depends on their own to get their 27th LaLiga title.
The situation is complicated for Ancelotti’s team; besides LaLiga they are still competing in the Champions League, and Copa del Rey. The number of minutes from every player will grow exponentially in the upcoming weeks. There are at least 15 matches left for Real Madrid to play this season in case they do not move forward in the Champions League. The rotation of players will be the key for them to stay where they are in LaLiga but also, to keep moving forward in the European Tournament. Even though the league title seems improbable, there is something not many people are considering at this moment, which is losing that second place. Atletico de Madrid is just five points behind their city rivals and they have won four of their last five games. They have found their finest version in the last couple of weeks and with the physical load Real Madrid players will have next month with 9 of those 15 games, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them losing points.
The other corner of this fight for the league title has the calendar on their favor; the elimination against Manchester United a few weeks ago has extended the time between their games. This time allows them to be more prepared and rested for each game, except for the Copa del Rey semifinal against Real Madrid on April 5th. The main obstacle this team has to win the title are the injuries; after the game on Sunday there is confirmation by the club that Araujo suffered a left adductor injury. The injured list of Xavi’s squad now has Pedri, Dembélé and the center back, three players that have been very important this season that will be missed by the Blaugrana, if they don’t recover during the international break.
The season is almost over, but these final weeks are going to be intense with the schedule some teams have. The pre-season planification, the depth of the squads and the administration of players to prevent injuries are critical. It will be up to the managers how they play their cards; chances exist for both teams to succeed or fail to achieve their goals and this break will play an important role in the following weeks.
