Barcelona’s main competition in the Champions League just got hammered
More often than not, Real Madrid have a successful season when Barcelona go through a bad period of form at the end of the season. It has been the case for the last few years, with the club slipping up in the Champions League.
But this season, nothing is going right for Real Madrid. They are on a three-match losing streak, having lost two consecutive Clásicos in the Copa del Rey and the La Liga before going down 4-1 to Ajax at home in the second leg of the Champions League last 16.
Barça are 7 points clear at the top of the league table, and 12 points off Real Madrid. Ernesto Valverde’s men just defeated Real Madrid 4-1 on aggregate in the Copa del Rey semi-final. Los Merengues have also eliminated from the Champions League.
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Dušan Tadić and Hakim Ziyech were absolutely amazing in the 4-1 victory against Santiago Solari’s men, with future Barça player Frenkie de Jong providing solidity in midfield. Lasse Schöne also netted an amazing goal in the late stages of the game.
Of course, Barça still have to face an in-form Lyon side in the second leg of the Champions League last 16 after drawing a blank in the first leg. But despite Lyon’s recent 5-1 demolition of Toulouse, Barça have plenty of time to prepare and the game will be at the Camp Nou.
Lyon are still capable of staging an upset, but it looks unlikely. On the other hand, Barça will face Valencia in the Copa del Rey final, with a formidable record in its arsenal. In the La Liga, the home game against second-placed Atlético is the only one left against top opposition.
Undoubtedly, the treble is Barça’s for the taking. The league title and the Copa del Rey is firmly in the club’s grasp, while the road to the Champions League title just got a lot easier with the elimination of Real Madrid, who have won the trophy for the last 3 years.