As Xavi nears his eventual Barcelona exit, the Catalan giants head to Madrid for the final El Clasico of the season hoping to erase a growing feeling of inferiority as they take on Real Madrid in league play on Sunday.
Real Madrid hold an eight-point lead atop the La Liga standings, and with seven matches remaining that lead feels all but insurmountable. Second-place Barcelona could sew some seeds of doubt with a victory here, but even cutting it to five would leave them with plenty of work to do and few opportunities to pounce.
Additionally, the midweek European fixtures will leave Barca with something to prove in this game. Real Madrid vanquished Premier League leaders Man City in the Champions League quarterfinals, advancing to the competition's final four, while Barcelona collapsed in epic fashion at home against PSG to crash out of Europe.
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Thus, defeat here would leave Barcelona second-best to their hated Clasico rivals in just about every category, and only a result here would stem the growing anxiety that Los Blancos are enjoying a period of dominance amidst this decades-long conflict.
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Real Madrid worked tirelessly to see off Man City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, absorbing waves and waves of relentless pressure and emerging with the scoreline intact — barely. That should leave Los Blancos quite well prepared to face a similar opponent in Barcelona who create significant attacking moments but largely fail to finish them.
Both sides will be exhausted coming into this game — Real Madrid defended for incredibly long stretches, hanging on for dear life across much of
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