Although FC Barcelona had to abandon their dreams of lifting the Champions League trophy, they are still the favourites for winning the Spanish La Liga. Their campaign was far from perfect, especially at the beginning of the season, but has recently stabilised into a smooth glide towards victory. How did their last few games go? With only five match days to go, can the team already begin their celebrations?
On the 22nd of April, Barcelona faced Celta Vigo in a game that lasted much longer than the standard 90 minutes. Although both teams noted early chances, no goals were scored until the 40th minute.
It was then that Lamine Yamal was fouled by Celta’s net, earning a penalty for Blaugrana. He was the one who converted it into the game’s first and only goal. Unfortunately, instead of celebrating, the young player fell to the ground, clutching the same leg he used to put Barcelona in the lead. He was promptly taken off the field. After the match ended, it was confirmed that he would miss the remainder of the league season.
It took almost 15 minutes for the game to resume due to a medical emergency on one of the grandstands. No more goals were scored towards the end of the first half. In the second, the ball did end up at the back of Celta’s net thanks to Pedri’s pass and Ferran Torres’ shot. The score did not change as the striker was deemed to have been offside, a decision that was seen as wrong by many of the fans gathered on the grandstands.
A few days later, Barcelona travelled to Getafe. They played without their young star, Yamal. No successful shots were noted for the better part of the first half, with the score only changing in the first minute of added time. It was then that Pedri took advantage of Getafe’s high defence and managed a beautiful pass to Fermín López, who was quick to convert it into a goal.
Getafe tried to answer in the second half, and while they did create some dangerous situations, none were enough to improve their situation. Barcelona secured their win in the 74th minute after Marcus Rashford’s seventh goal of the season. With that, three more points were added to their tally, putting them at 85 total.
In the last week of April, Barcelona won both their games, while their closest rivals, Real Madrid, won one and drew the other. This meant that the Catalan team further increased their lead. Right now, the difference between Spain’s two biggest clubs is 11 points. While it can still technically be made up, the scenario seems unlikely, given that there are only five matchdays left in the season.
Both Barcelona and Real will play one more game this week and are then set to face each other at the season’s last El Clásico. Should Los Blancos lose their upcoming match against Espanyol, a win against Osasuna would make Blaugrana the new champions. Otherwise, the Catalans can get the title by winning with their biggest rivals.
No matter which scenario ends up coming to fruition, I don’t think it is too early to say that Barcelona has already all but taken the La Liga trophy. They would have to have a truly disastrous run to offset the point difference they have managed to accrue. Although they are missing a few crucial names, they are still in great form, so such a contingency does not seem likely.
On the other hand, with 15 points still up for the taking, Blaugrana can achieve something truly impressive. If they win all their remaining games, they will finish the season with 100 points. The threshold has only been reached twice in La Liga’s history, once by Real in the 2011/2012 season, and then a year later by Barcelona.
The upcoming weekend may end up being the one that gives Barcelona their 29th domestic title. For that reason, both their and Real’s games are sure to be watched by all Culers. Luckily for them, even if the matches don’t go according to plan, they are still more than likely to see their beloved team lift the La Liga trophy. By all means, their victory is only a matter of time.
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