Real Madrid (4th) hosts Deportivo La Coruña (18th) in a match with no margin for error, on Sunday, for the 20th roundnda of the Spanish League, while what the leader Barcelona wants to overcome the first defeat of the season against the complicated Betis (7th).
“What we want is to win games, that’s what will change the dynamic,” said French coach Zinedine Zidane on Wednesday, before the match that ends the first legs of the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, against Leganés.
After two draws and a defeat in the last clashes, Real Madrid is going through a crisis and finds Barça 19 points behind. With the title difficult to achieve, German Toni Kroos warned that “we need to focus on qualifying the team for next season’s Champions League”.
Eight points behind Valencia (3rd), who host bottom club Las Palmas on Saturday, the Merengues see Villareal (5th) threatening fourth place, one point away. Also approaching is Sevilla (6th), who could draw with Real Madrid if Zidane’s men lose and the Andalusians overcome Espanyol (14th).
The Catalan team was the thorn in the side of leader Barcelona, who suffered their first defeat of the season in the classic in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey (1-0). But in the Spanish championship, Barça still leads with nine points ahead of Atlético de Madrid (2nd).
Barça travels to face Betis, who could put themselves in the qualifying zone for European competitions in case of victory. Atlético de Madrid, on the other hand, needs to overcome Girona (10th) after a tough 2-1 defeat to Sevilla in the Copa del Rey.