Barcelona are currently 4 points ahead of Real Madrid after 34 rounds in La Liga. The two teams will meet in the second leg of round 35 at Lluis Companys. If they win, the Blaugrana will be considered to have touched both hands in the championship title. On the contrary, they will face great pressure from their arch-rivals when they are only 1 point ahead of their opponents. However, a draw still makes Barca confident as the remaining 4 points and 3 rounds are a fairly safe distance.
However, the spirit and strength of Hansi Flick's team are declining. They just lost to Inter in the Champions League semi-finals. Barca drew 3-3 with their opponents after the first leg, leading 3-2 until the 90+3 minute of the return match but lost the final score with a total score of 6-7.
Not being able to reach the Champions League final for 10 years is a pretty bad achievement for a powerful team like Barcelona. They need to forget this defeat by winning La Liga. To do so, to be most certain, Lamine Yamal and his teammates must beat Real Madrid.
In terms of force, Barca is still not much better than the second leg of the semi-final against Inter. Hansi Flick confirmed that key striker Robert Lewandowski and full-back Alejandro Balde will definitely not be able to participate. In the midweek match against Inter, Lewy returned from the bench when he was brought on in extra time. The Polish striker has previously missed four consecutive games. Balde, meanwhile, has not played in his last seven games.
"I didn't think they would be ready to play this game. Ferran Torres is playing very well as a striker" - Flick shared at the pre-match press conference.
In the goalkeeper position, Flick may have to consider who to choose between Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Wojciech Szczesny. Ter Stegen has been out since September 2024 after suffering a tendon rupture in the quarter of his shirt. Szczesny has been recruited by Barca despite having previously announced his retirement and the Polish goalkeeper has played well since then.
Last weekend, Ter Stegen returned to the starting lineup in Barca's 2-1 win over Valladolid. When asked about this, Szczesny said he was fine. At the end of this season, the 3-year-old goalkeeper's contract with Barca will expire and it is likely that it will be when he leaves the Camp Nou team.
"It's the matter of sporting director Deco, not mine. Deco is the contractor and it's up to him.
He is always good, has a very calm demeanor, and only smokes a little bit sometimes. However, that was Szczcesny. The Barcelona team is very happy with him" - Flick shared.
The match between Barcelona and Real Madrid will take place at 9:15 p.m. on May 11 (Vietnam time), live on SCTV.
