After wrapping up the league title with last weekend’s victory over Deportivo La Coruna, Barcelona are returning home to celebrate in Sunday’s clash against none other than bitter rivals Real Madrid.
The visitors are also in a celebratory mood after sneaking into the Champions League Final with Tuesday’s nervy 2-2 draw against Bayern Munich, so this late-season Clasico is a slightly unusual affair between two teams who are both satisfied with their season’s achievements.
However, there’s still plenty to play for as we discover by looking at the game’s three big talking points.
CAN BARCA STAY ‘INVINCIBLE’?
Ernesto Valverde and Zindine Zidane
The league title might have already been secured for the seventh time in ten seasons, but there is still one significant challenge for Barcelona in their remaining four games: preserving their unbeaten record to become the only team in La Liga history to go a whole season without defeat.
This game is by far the biggest challenge to that milestone, with Sunday’s Clasico followed by home games against Villarreal and Real Sociedad and an away trip to Levante.
And although their main objective for the season has already been achieved, the potential of becoming ‘the Catalan Invincibles’ is sure to be a big motivating factor for Ernesto Valverde’s men – and you can be doubly certain that if there’s one team they don’t want to suffer their first defeat against, it’s Real Madrid.
Conversely, however, Zinedine Zidane’s team have their pride at stake after suffering a humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Barca earlier in the season, and they would dearly love to regain some bragging rights by ending their bitter rival’s quest for a perfect season.
So the game might mean nothing in terms of silverware, but there is still plenty to play for.
INIESTA TO START FINAL CLASICO?
Andres Iniesta
One player will be firmly in centre stage as he competes in El Clasico for the very last time: departing Barca skipper Andres Iniesta, who is hoping to start after recovering from a minor injury which forced him to skip training earlier this week.
Iniesta could be given an additional tribute before the game by receiving a guard of honour from both sets of players, thereby neatly solving a simmering dispute over the traditional ‘pasillo’ which is given to newly-crowned La Liga champions by their next opponents.
Zidane – probably following orders from club president Florentino Perez – has stated that his team will not follow that tradition by lining up in salute of Barca’s players, but the compromise of joining the opposition in a pre-game homage to Iniesta would be a diplomatic solution if a late agreement can be reached.
If Iniesta is fit to start, Valverde will have to choose between Philippe Coutinho, Paulinho and Ousmane Dembele for the remaining slot in midfield, with former Liverpool man Coutinho looking his most likely option.
REAL TO BEGIN FINAL PREPARATIONS?
Gareth Bale
Although they would love to gain a morale-boosting Clasico victory, in reality the game is just a footnote in Madrid’s season as Zidane’s men start to look ahead to the Champions League Final clash with Liverpool in three weeks.
That presents Zidane with a dilemma: does he go with his strongest possible eleven, or should he indulge in some squad rotation to rest his key players following their emotionally, mentally and physically draining midweek semi-final triumph against Bayern Munich?
That’s perhaps a false question because it’s not really clear what Zidane’s strongest team actually is. The French coach has run through an almost endless variety of different formations and personnel in the last few weeks, giving the strong impression he doesn’t have an ideal starting line-up in mind for the showdown in Kiev.
One player who particularly needs a strong performance is Gareth Bale after seemingly dropping to the bottom of Zidane’s pecking order in the attacking positions, so expect to see the Welshman fired up – possibly even playing for his future at the club – if he is given a chance to impress.
