Barcelona’s perfect Easter weekend has brought the Catalans very close to defending their La Liga title, as they have increased their lead over nearest rival, Real Madrid, to seven points.
Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa, who had received high praise after eliminating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Champions League, took responsibility for the shock defeat to Mallorca, a result that appeared to give the league leaders even more momentum.
Barcelona were humiliated 4-0 by Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey semi-final at the Metropolitano, but reacted immediately, not allowing that defeat to affect them, even though they found themselves at a disadvantage in the next match.
The Catalans also benefited from the referees’ great decisions and exploited the numerical advantage, when Robert Lewandowski scored in extra time, taking advantage of the ball’s rebound after Juan Musso’s save, to beat Atletico Madrid’s reserve goalkeeper.
A draw after a defeat to Real Madrid wouldn’t be a bad result for Barcelona, ​​but a win has brought them closer to the title. Now, they are dreaming of securing a second consecutive title against their eternal rivals when the Madrid side visit Catalonia next month.
With a combined 64 La Liga titles between them, El Clasico has always been a decisive match in the battle for supremacy in Spanish football. The clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid has often determined the fate of the championship, although the Madrid side failed to fully capitalize on their victory in the first Clasico of the 2025–26 season in October.
Barcelona’s current seven-point advantage means they can be crowned champions with a win over Real Madrid at Camp Nou on May 10.
This could happen if both teams win their next four La Liga matches. Barcelona will face Espanyol, Celta Vigo, Getafe and Osasuna, while Real Madrid will face Girona, Alaves, Real Betis and Espanyol.
However, with the Champions League quarter-final matches and the fact that both teams have a total of nine losses this season, maintaining a perfect run is far from certain.
Barcelona need to be seven, eight or nine points clear before the Clasico to secure the title with a win in that match. The Catalans could even wrap up the title race before the May clash if they win their next three games and Real Madrid lose all of them.
For Hansi Flick’s team, defeating their biggest rival and becoming champions of Spain would be the ideal scenario. However, Barcelona would have nothing against securing the title before May 10.
This, in theory, would bring a “pasillo” from Real Madrid. But not necessarily. Barcelona experienced this in 2008 when they applauded the Madrid team at the Santiago Bernabeu before a 4-1 defeat, while Real Madrid has refused to do so on other occasions.
Zinedine Zidane’s team refused to do the “passillo” in the 2017–18 season, while earlier this year, Kylian Mbappe reportedly asked his teammates not to do the gesture after Barcelona’s triumph in the Spanish Super Cup.
