Barcelona and Real Madrid set for high-stakes El Clásico showdown
FC Barcelona will face arch-rivals Real Madrid in the fourth El Clasico of the season in a pivotal La Liga clash at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium in Barcelona on Sunday evening. The match is scheduled to kick off at 7:45 PM IST.
Following a heart-wrenching 6-7 loss to Inter Milan in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, Barcelona, under coach Hansi Flick, will be eager to rebound and strengthen their grip on the La Liga title.
Currently, Barcelona top the points table with 75 points from 34 matches, while Real Madrid sits second with 71 points from the same number of games. A win for Barcelona would extend their lead to seven points with just three matches remaining, while a victory for Carlo Ancelotti’s side would narrow the gap to a single point, keeping the title race incredibly tight. Reports from Madrid suggest that this will be Carlo Ancelotti's final El Clásico as Real Madrid manager. The La Liga giants are set to replace him with Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso, while Ancelotti is expected to take over as the manager of the Brazil national football team.
This season, Barcelona has already gotten the better of Real Madrid in two major finals, clinching both the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. In their most recent La Liga encounter, Barcelona delivered a resounding 4-0 victory over their rivals, further adding to the intensity and anticipation surrounding this latest El Clásico.