So here we are at the business end of the La Liga season. Real Madrid still sit atop the league table while Barcelona and Sevilla continue to chase Zidane’s side – as they have done for most of the season.
However, with Madrid dropping points in recent weeks against Valencia and Las Palmas, Barcelona now have a much more realistic chance of closing the 2-point gap on their rivals. The only difficulty that Barcelona face is the fact that Madrid still have a game in hand.
Can Barca recover and take the title once again in dramatic fashion?
The slip up at Deportivo could prove to be detrimental to Barca’s title hopes. They were chasing the game as they went 1-0 down, only for Luis Suarez to equalise and give them hope. But the game was lost when Deportivo, who are in the bottom half of the league, showed how much they wanted the win and grabbed the three points.
This weekend is imperative for the Catalan giants as they face a much-improved Valencia side. The man currently in charge of the Mestalla is the former Valencia defender Voro, and he has brought some much-needed stability to the dysfunctional side.
In fact, as earlier stated, they managed to take all 3 points from Real Madrid to help their cause and get as far away as possible from the relegation scrap. Therefore, this game will be no walk in the park for Messi, Neymar, Suarez et al.
A defeat in the weekend would all but end their chances of adding another trophy to the already humongous cabinet at the Nou Camp.
Should Barca lose on Sunday, Sevilla could go level on points with Luis Enrique’s side.
Following the shock defeat to Leicester midweek in the Champions League, Jorge Sampaoli’s team have just one focus now, and that is making up the ground on the two sides above them in La Liga.
With an El Clasico still to play and the Catalan side having to host Sevilla towards the end of the term, they must bounce back and find the spirit they conjured up in the 6-1 win against PSG, in what can only be described as phenomenal and one of the greatest nights in Champions League history.
The dream is still alive for Jose Enrique, in his final season, to take all three major trophies available to him (4 if you include the Supercopa they won in August 2016). Therefore, he needs his players to keep their focus, play as a unit and have that ‘winners attitude’ that makes Barcelona such an irresistible force.
The Nou Camp should be bouncing on Sunday, but Valencia will not roll over. This will be a cracker of a match, and a must watch for any football fanatic.
