With the La Liga campaign resuming next month, Barcelona will have only 11 matches to maintain their two-point lead over rivals Real Madrid.
Only two points separated the two La Liga giants before the shutdown, with Barcelona looking to continue their lead once the season resumes.
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The Spanish league is returning next month with the committee hoping to crown a champion within six weeks as July is the month named for the much-awaited restart.
Javier Tebas has quoted July 12th as the possible reopening date, however, this is subject to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic situation in Spain.
11 matches in such a tight period would really affect Barca’s chances for the worse as Zinedine Zidane has plenty of depth in his Real Madrid squad, while Quique Setien was already struggling for alternatives before the shutdown.
Setien’s options will surely be limited for the eventual fixtures with Barca’s B squad being the only possible alternatives. Blaugrana fans have at least one thing to look forward to and that is the return of striker Luis Suarez, who would be looking to push hard for the championship as this may well be his final year amid Lautaro Martinez‘s transfer talks.
The matches are to be played behind closed doors for the safety of everyone involved, with the Catalans having five home games along with six away fixtures. Real Madrid, on the other hand, have six home matches and five away ones.
Both sides have shown a desire to not play in their massive stadium to reduce the amount of money needed to run the facilities. It also significantly reduces the risk of the spread of COVID-19 as the whole event can be managed in a smaller stadium.
Barca have performed significantly well at home this season with the main concern coming when playing away. Their toughest home matches are against Atletico Madrid and Espanyol while the away ones are at Celta Vigo and Sevilla.
The club have suffered away this season as they seem to lose their identity when not playing at the Nou Camp. The lack of away fans during these fixtures may perhaps be a boost for the squad.
Los Blancos’s tough away matches are against Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad while visitors Getafe and Valencia could also cause some trouble.
It remains to be seen which team will manage to perform its best during these difficult periods with all eyes on the two giants as they chase the La Liga crown.
Can Barca manage to beat Real Madrid this season?