clasico

By Mike Woitalla

The capital of the soccer universe? Right now, it’s Madrid. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have reached the UEFA Champions League semis for thethird time in four seasons. And on Sunday, Real Madrid hosts El Clasico, which is expected to draw worldwide TV viewership of more than 600 million — while giving Barcelonaa chance to save its season.

Sunday’s El Clasico airs at 2:45 p.m. ET in the USA on beIN SPORTS and beIN SPORTS enEspanol. And it’s a must-win game for Barcelona to keep hopes alive for a third-straight La Liga title, because Real Madrid sits atop La Liga with a three-point lead over Barcelona, whichhas played a game more. That Barcelona was eliminated from the Champions League on Wednesday, failing to overcome a 3-0 first-leg deficit against Juventus, makes the clash even more crucial for theCatalan club.

“Picking yourself up after a defeat like this is hard, but we have the best motivation [we] can have,” said Barcelona coach Luis Enrique after the 0-0 tie withJuventus on Wednesday, “which is visit the home of our eternal rival — there’s no better place than to go to than the Bernabeu. It will be as special as ever and it’s a marvelous stimulus: a key gameagainst the leader, a direct opponent. We have to get ready and compete and I am sure we will do that.”

El Clasico always has an impact on the La Ligatitle race, but the intrigue goes far beyond that. And I’m not talking about obsessive regionalism, the off-field rivalry between Catalonia and Spain’s capital. This is a game that puts on the fieldnot only the two greatest players of their generation, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, but national team stars from up to 14 different countries. To name a few,there’s German 2014 World Cup champion Toni Kroos, Frenchman Karim Benzema, Uruguayan Luis Suarez, Croatians Luka Modric andIvan Rakitic, Marcelo, one of five Brazilians between the two squads, and of course the Spanish stars, such as Sergio Ramos, GerardPique, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta.

Barcelona, which will miss Neymar because of a suspension,is in a rut. Its 3-0 loss to Juventus came three days after it wasted a chance to gain ground on Real, losing, 2-0, to Malaga while Real Madrid tied Atletico Madrid, 1-1.

“We are human, of course something is going to affect us,” Barcelona’s Gerard Pique said after Wednesday’s Juventus game. “On Sunday there’s another big match, andwe’ll go there to compete and try and win. Even if we are not in our best moment, I believe we can go there and win.”

If it fails, Barcelona still has a chance for a 2016-17 title, the Copadel Rey, in which it meets Alaves in the May 27 final. But this would mark the first time since 2012 that it hasn’t won La Liga or the Champions League or both.

While Real Madrid isaiming for its second straight Champions League title, it hasn’t won La Liga since 2012. Since then, Barcelona has won three titles and Atletico Madrid one. (Atletico Madrid is currently inthird place, 10 points behind Real.)

Real Madrid’s 2014 and 2016 Champions League titles came with final wins over Atletico Madrid. The semifinal draw takes place on Friday, whenwe’ll know whether there’s another chance for an all-Madrid final.

But on Sunday, all eyes will be on El Clasico.

5 choice picks from the MSN’s 21 @LaLigaEN goals against @realmadriden. #ElClasico pic.twitter.com/7Rz2NS6LyU

— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) April 20, 2017

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4 Comments

  2. I will miss this.. it’s not worth my time seeing top leagues that continues to support few teams at the expense of others. It’s a CON system that will never work in the US.

  3. You are funny, man. I totally understand your point and I support the idea of more fairness in revenue distribution in La Liga. But by missing the best spectacle in the world, you are punishing yourself. Enjoy the game as a fan and let the Politicians of European Congresses deal with the issue of fairness.

  4. IMHO, the clock is running out on some of Barcelon’a key players Too many losses to mid-level clubs will deny their quest for the La Liga repeat. Hopefully, El Classico 2017 will be one to remember, as they frequently are.

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