Barcelona out of championship?

(Baonghean.vn) - More than 3 hours after Real Madrid's victory over Valencia, coach Luis Enrique and his team also won all 3 points in the Catalan derby against their neighbors Espanyol.

It is ironic to say that Barcelona is moving further and further away from the La Liga 2016/2017 throne when the Camp Nou team is leading the rankings and has been performing quite impressively in recent matches. However, the prospect of Barcelona going home empty-handed in the most prestigious tournament of Spanish football is almost certain, even though coach Luis Enrique and his team are currently leading the rankings with the same number of 81 points as their rivals Real Madrid but are ranked higher thanks to the additional index (La Liga regulations: head-to-head results are the first factor to base the ranking position when 2 teams have the same number of points).

Therefore, if at the end of round 38, Real Madrid and Barcelona have the same number of points, the La Liga title will naturally belong to coach Luis Enrique and his team. It is true that Barcelona is above Real Madrid with the advantage of a direct confrontation, but to win the championship this season, that is not enough.

The reason for saying that is because the royal team also possesses an advantage that if successfully exploited, Barcelona's superior number will become meaningless. The advantage that coach Zinedine Zidane and his team are holding is nothing other than the make-up match of round 21 with Celta Vigo.

Beating Espanyol in the Catalan derby, Barcelona holds on to their chance to win La Liga. Photo: Internet.

If Real Madrid can get 10/12 maximum points in the last 4 rounds, the 2016/2017 La Liga championship will definitely belong to them regardless of the results of the matches of rival Barcelona.

Of course, it is impossible to count the chickens in their nests when it is "nailed down" that Real Madrid will gain the necessary number of points to win the championship. Many people will borrow the saying "in football anything can happen", but the Bernabeu team has indeed touched the La Liga trophy this season. The basis for believing that will happen is Real Madrid's upcoming opponents.

The obstacles on the way to the finish line for coach Zinedine Zidane and his team are Granada, Sevilla, Celta Vigo and Malaga. Theoretically, apart from Granada, the remaining 3 opponents are all capable of making Real Madrid regret.

First is Sevilla - the team that is temporarily ranked 4th on the rankings, and is also 1 of 3 teams that have defeated Real Madrid up to this point in La Liga 2016/2017 (along with Valencia, Barcelona). Obviously, the team led by coach Sampaoli is strong enough to stop Real Madrid's progress to the throne.

However, when the two teams met at the Bernabeu (round 37), everything was almost decided for Sevilla. The possibility of a place in the top 4 completely belonged to the representative of Andalucia.

In addition, the revelation that coach Sampaoli will lead the Argentina national team right after the end of this season also has a significant impact on the spirit of the Sevilla players. Remember, nearly 2 months ago, also because of rumors surrounding coach Sampaoli's position (at that time, the Spanish media said that Sampaoli would replace Luis Enrique to lead Barcelona), Sevilla went through a series of winless matches and fell from 2nd to 4th place in the rankings.

Even if Sevilla players are in top form and spirit, winning 3 points at Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium will be extremely difficult.

According to statistics, since the 4-3 victory on December 7, 2008, Sevilla has not been able to achieve any positive results when traveling to Bernabeu. Through that, it can be seen that coach Zinedine Zidane and his team can earn at least 1 point against the guests from Andalucia is extremely feasible. After the match against Sevilla, the Madrid team will have 2 away trips against Celta Vigo and Malaga.

The duo Ronaldo - Marcelo shined to help Real Madrid beat Valencia with a score of 2 - 1. Photo: Internet.

These are two tough opponents in La Liga, capable of "stealing points" from Real Madrid. However, it is worth mentioning that both Celta Vigo and Malaga have run out of goals in La Liga 2016/2017. With the achievement of reaching the semi-finals of the Europa League, the team at Balaidos Stadium is showing signs of giving up on domestic matches to focus on the continental arena.

The proof is that in the last 4 matches in La Liga, Celta Vigo only won 1 and lost 3 times. Meeting Real Madrid in the make-up match of round 21, it is hard to believe that coach Berizzco and his team can stop the opponent's progress.

Similar to Celta Vigo is Malaga. The team at La Rosaleda is currently ranked 13th after 34 rounds. With 39 points, Malaga has officially stayed in the league and no longer has a chance to compete for a place in the Europa League. To put it bluntly, Malaga's upcoming matches are mainly for honor. Recently, President Al Thani made a shocking statement on Twitter: "The scum from Catalonia will not be able to smell the scent of the championship." That alone has already predicted the outcome of the match between Malaga and Real Madrid. Victory is unlikely to escape the hands of coach Zinedine Zidane and his team.

In short, with what is happening, if Barcelona wins all 3 final rounds, the 2016/2017 La Liga championship will not belong to them. Simply, the decision is in the hands of Real Madrid and their “friends”.

Thanh Hung