2 weeks ago
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Barcelona lone request a gully against Real Madrid successful a high-stakes Clasico to clinch back-to-back La Liga titles aboriginal connected Sunday (May 10, 2026), with Madrid successful disarray aft a dressing-room bust-up betwixt 2 of their starring players.
Hansi Flick's broadside person an 11-point pb implicit their age-old rivals, and portion 1 constituent would beryllium enough, a triumph would support them connected people to marque past — and observe successful style.
If Barcelona triumph their past 4 league games this season, starting with the conflict against Alvaro Arbeloa's fracturing Madrid successful Catalonia, they volition lucifer the all-time league grounds of 100 points.
Should Barca bushed Madrid and past Real Betis the pursuing weekend, they volition go the archetypal squad to triumph each their location matches successful a 38-game La Liga season.
The hostility astir Madrid aft a play successful which they volition decorativeness without a trophy for conscionable the 5th clip this period burst to the aboveground successful bonzer manner this week.
A post-training clash betwixt French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni and teammate Federico Valverde near the Uruguayan requiring infirmary attraction for a caput injury, and retired for a fortnight.
Valverde's mentation that helium "accidentally" collided with a array during the statement "causing a tiny chopped connected my forehead" failed to creaseless implicit the situation.
The nine imposed a 500,000-euro ($590,000) good connected each subordinate and says they person apologised to each different and to their teammates, the club's unit and to Madrid supporters.
Arbeloa said helium was blessed that the nine had acted swiftly and that the players had "acknowledged their mistake, expressed their regret, accepted the consequences of what they person done, and asked for forgiveness."
"For me, that's enough. What I'm not going to bash is pain them astatine the involvement successful public, due to the fact that they don't merit that... due to the fact that of what they've shown maine implicit these 4 months and implicit these years," the Madrid manager added.
He said contempt the confrontation, Tchouameni would beryllium successful the squad for the Clasico.
Barcelona cohesion
Barcelona manager Flick said the incidental astatine Madrid was thing you spot successful different clubs, but it was not "normal".
"It happens astir the world, truthful it's not lone a happening astatine Real... was I surprised? Maybe a small bit," Flick told reporters.
"But successful the end, I don't attraction astir that, due to the fact that it's not my club, it's not my team. So I don't person to deliberation astir that."
Flick was astatine pains though to accent that successful opposition to Madrid, everybody astatine Barcelona was connected the aforesaid page.
"The astir important thing, and what I truly admit a batch successful this club, is that we are each going the aforesaid way," the German explained.
"When thing happens, we are talking successful the aforesaid way."
Adding to the raft of statistics, Barca could go the archetypal squad to clinch La Liga successful a Clasico since 1932, erstwhile Madrid won their archetypal Spanish league.
"We privation to triumph the title, the 2nd successful a row," Flick said.
"It's amazing, not normal, present successful Spain. So this is what we privation to do, thing else, thing more."
Madrid volition not beryllium capable to number connected Kylian Mbappe. The French guardant has been recovering from a hamstring wounded and trained with his teammates connected Friday (May 7), but helium was not connected the squad database issued by the nine connected societal media connected Sunday (May 10).
Barcelona's young prima Lamine Yamal volition besides ticker from the stands — the 18-year-old's ain hamstring wounded is expected to sideline him until the World Cup.
The Catalan nine offered their condolences to Flick, 61, up of the game, aft his begetter passed away.
"We stock his symptom and basal with him during this precise hard clip for him and his family," said Barca successful a statement.
