As the dust settles on another El Clasico victory for Barcelona where they once again outplayed Real Madrid, who resorted to desperate antics especially from Pepe to try and stop them, the champions still return to league action away to Malaga trailing their bitter rivals by five points.
It is only the half-way stage in the King’s Cup quarter-final but Real face an uphill battle next week to overcome their 2-1 defeat in the cauldron like atmosphere that always greets them at the Camp Nou especially if they play like they did on Wednesday night.
Real, who now face Athletic Bilbao on Sunday, looked nothing like the side which had won all but one of their last 23 matches and amassed 63 goals so far this season in the league although that defeat in December did come against Barcelona when they were torn apart in the second half.
Barcelona had been stuttering especially away from home where they have only won three out of eight games and looked defensively frail last weekend in the 4-2 win over Real Betis but rather than trust in his own side’s attacking flair, Real coach Jose Mourinho preferred to offer a more defensive and destructive display where Pepe was once again the villain.
The Portuguese attempted to stop Barca by any means possible with some over the top challenges and playacting but the worst by far was when he stood on the hand of Lionel Messi as he lay on the ground.
Gerard Pique has not been a regular in the side this season due to injuries and has often been left out when coach Pep Guardiola has played three at the back. He produced a solid performance against Real and said that when Barca play to their potential they are still the team to beat.
“That was one of our best performances and when we play like that then we are not going to lose. We have a style of football which we have been playing for many years and we play the same in whichever stadium,” he said.
“In the head-to-head matches we have come out on top against Madrid which is great as it shows we are stronger than them but we must improve generally to win the league and we face a big match this weekend against Malaga.”
Real Betis and Sevilla clash in what is one of the most passionate derbies in world football but the match has been overshadowed in recent years by crowd trouble and directors from both clubs have met this week in an effort to urge a more peaceful atmosphere.
Sevilla are a point below the European places with Valencia leading the chase behind the front two and they now take on Osasuna. Levante are still hanging onto the other Champions League berth despite losing 3-0 last weekend to Athletic Bilbao and they haven’t won in the league now since early December but they will hope to end that run against bottom side Zaragoza who are five points adrift.
Espanyol are also in the European hunt and take on Granada while below them Atletico Madrid, who have responded well after the appointment of Diego Simeone, travel to Real Sociedad.
It is set to be a tense clash between relegation threatened Villarreal and Sporting Gijon while Racing Santander are also in action against Getafe and Rayo Vallecano entertain Mallorca.
