Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are well known as maybe the 2 most powerful clubs in the world of soccer. They are both teams that start their seasons with a lot of expectations and obviously always having the goal to win as many championships as they can. But this has been a very tough and unusual season for both of these La Liga teams. These teams have been for many years the favorites for winning their local league that only 4 times, a team not known as Barça and Madrid have won La Liga since 2000. At the moment, Atlético de Madrid is in first place despite the fact they have played one game less. Atleti is leading Real Madrid by 7 points and Barcelona by 10 points, which could become a unreachable gap for both teams. Now, let’s do a recap for each team:
Zinedine Zidane’s team has been under several troubles, suffering their biggest upset last Wednesday after they lost their Copa del Rey matchup 2-1 in a overtime thriller against CD Alcoyano, a team that’s not even in La Liga 2. After the situation the merengues are passing through in La Liga, the elimination suffered against Athletic Club in the semifinals of the Spanish Supercup, and the fact that other teams have more chances to win the Champions League, is a unknown situation for Madrid. Before Wednesday’s match, it was very likely that the Copa del Rey was the most affordable that Madrid could aspire to win, but there aren’t any chances now. Some players have been underperforming, and there are rumors that some players will be leaving the team soon. Now, the team will have to win-out and hope that Atlético can lose a pair of games to be in the La Liga competition. Heading into the Champions League, Real Madrid will face Atalanta in the round of 16. Madrid arrives as the favorite to beat Atalanta, but we know that surprises could happen, and that if they advance, they might have to face Europe’s strongest teams at the moment.
Does Real Madrid have a chance of winning a championship this year? Should Zidane continue as the team’s head coach?
FC Barcelona’s season started in a unknown fashion, as there were many rumors putting Lionel Messi out of Barcelona. Despite the fact that matters were not perfect with Messi, the Argentine stayed in Barcelona and President Bartomeu left the presidency. Now, the team is looking for a new president, but the team has not been playing well. On Thursday Barça beat UE Cornellá, a third division team, 0-2 in overtime. They advance to the next round in the Copa del Rey, despite all the doubts they left after the match. The situation for Koeman’s team is also not optimal: they trail Atlético by 10 points, lost the Spanish Supercup final against Athletic Club and will face Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 of the Champions League. The good news for the culés is that they are still alive in the Copa del Rey. After losing badly the Supercup final last Sunday, Barça will have to be perfect to win the Copa del Rey and finish the season with at least one trophy. They will arrive to the Champions League matchup as underdogs, but that may be more affordable than winning La Liga.
The questions after this season in Barcelona will be several, but the main one will be: Will Messi stay?
That’s the situation with two most famous soccer teams in the world. Will they recover and return to their supremacy in Europe? Only time will tell.