Barcelona and Real Madrid resume their battle for the Spanish league title when the sport resumes after a seven-week break for the World Cup.
When club play was suspended in early November, Barcelona and Real Madrid were already threatening to make it a two-team fight, with only nine points separating second-place Madrid and third-place Real Sociedad.
Barcelona leads by two points and plays crosstown rival Espanyol at Camp Nou on Saturday, a day before defending champion Real Madrid travels to Valladolid.
The Catalan club is under even more pressure to win its first league title since 2019 after failing to advance past the group stage of the Champions League despite bolstering its team this summer with monies raised by the sale of some of its television rights and other assets.
“We must be critical of ourselves. “In the Champions League, we were not up to the task,” coach Xavi Hernández recently admitted. “I believe we did well in the Spanish league. I am confident that we will win this league. That would provide some stability to the club. It’s a top priority.”
With Robert Lewandowski serving a three-game suspension, Xavi’s immediate priority is finding a striker to spearhead his assault. Lewandowski received a one-game suspension after receiving two yellow cards in Barcelona’s 2-1 win against Osasuna in early November. The Spanish soccer association added two further games to Lewandowski’s sentence for his “display of disrespect” toward the referee when he twice pointed to his nose after being sent off.
Lewandowski’s league-high 13 goals have lifted Barcelona to the top of the standings. To replace the Poland striker against Espanyol and upcoming league games against Atlético Madrid and Getafe, Xavi will most likely turn to Ansu Fati, Memphis Depay, or Ferran Torres.
Several Barcelona players competed in the World Cup, including Jules Koundé and Ousmane Dembélé, whose France lost to Argentina and former Barcelona star Lionel Messi in the final.
The long vacation, according to Xavi, has allowed injured defenders Ronald Arajo and Sergi Roberto to heal and be ready to play on Saturday.
Barcelona will host a Espanyol club that has only two wins this season and is currently 16th in the table, one point above the relegation zone. This week, Espanyol reinforced its defense by signing Mexico defender César Montes.
Madrid is back in action, with Carlo Ancelotti attempting to restore the club’s championship form following setbacks prior to the World Cup. In two of its final three games before the break, it lost to Rayo Vallecano and drew with Girona.
Barcelona will host a Espanyol club that has only two wins this season and is currently 16th in the table, one point above the relegation zone. This week, Espanyol reinforced its defense by signing Mexico defender César Montes.
Madrid is back in action, with Carlo Ancelotti attempting to restore the club’s championship form following setbacks prior to the World Cup. In two of its final three games before the break, it lost to Rayo Vallecano and drew with Girona.
