[En Vivo] | Classic of Spain: Real Madrid vs. FC Barcelona | Date 29 | The League 2021-2022

Real Madrid hosts Barcelona this Sunday at the end of matchday 29 of the League, in a classic that could mean half a championship for the merengue leader.

The white team leads the standings with a 10-point advantage over Sevilla, in second place, and 15 over Barça and Atlético de Madrid, third and fourth, respectively.

After four consecutive victories in the Spanish championship, a new victory against the azulgranas would be a big step towards tying up the league crown with nine games to go, once the current date is over.

Real Madrid also has the latest statistics in its favour, having won four of the last five classics played.

The merengue team arrives at the meeting encouraged by their qualification for the quarterfinals of the Champions League after coming back against PSG and the 3-0 win against Mallorca on Monday in the Spanish championship, but coach Carlo Ancelotti quickly sought to nuance the joy after that meeting .

“Nothing changes, we have an advantage, it’s good at this point in the season”, Ancelotti said, after Mallorca, insisting that “nothing changes, we have to win on Sunday”.

Schedules to watch the game live

• Ecuador: 15:00
• Colombia: 15:00
• Peru: 15:00
• Argentina: 17:00
• Chile: 17:00
• Spain: 21:00
• Mexico City: 14:00
• New York: 15:00

Without Benzema

The joy for the victory in the Balearic capital was marred by the bill left in the form of the loss of the French side Ferland Mendy, who suffered an injury to the abductor of the left leg.

French striker Karim Benzema will also be absent, who had to retire in the last minutes of the match with discomfort in his left calf and who has not recovered for the Clásico, according to Ancelotti.

“Karim (Benzema) and Ferland (Mendy) will not be able to play tomorrow (Sunday), they will stay here all week,” the Italian coach confirmed this Saturday at a press conference, making it clear that the two players will not join to the French team next week.

The ‘Bleus’ have two friendly matches: against the Ivory Coast (March 25 in Marseille) and South Africa (March 29 in Lille).

Benzema’s loss is a serious blow for Ancelotti, who thus loses the leader of the league’s scorers table with 22 goals, far from the 14 of the second, his teammate Vinicius.

His absence is difficult to cover against a Barcelona that is in full ascending streak, undefeated in its last ten league games, of which eight have been victories.

Barça arrives encouraged, moreover, after managing to get into the Europa League quarterfinals, where they are the only Spanish survivor, by winning 2-1 on Thursday at Galatasaray.

“Today is a turning point for the project, for the group and to continue growing”, said Barça coach, Xavi Hernández, who has managed to transform the illusion of signing into results.

On the league podium

The Barça team has gone from being ninth in the League out of European positions when Xavi’s arrival on the Barça bench was announced in November to third position, although reaching the merengue leader seems complicated.

“LaLiga is very difficult, even winning at the Bernabéu because Madrid never fails”, Barça coach Xavi Hernández admitted last Sunday after the convincing victory over Osasuna 4-0.

The Barça coach is confident, however, of taking advantage of the team’s good moment to “try to compete” at the Bernabéu.

Barça has taken advantage of recent winter signings, especially that of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who since his arrival has accumulated seven goals in ten games, including the victory against Galatasaray.

The Franco-Gabon striker is emerging as one of Barça’s main weapons on Sunday, along with the prankish Pedro González ‘Pedri’.

The young Spanish international, Thursday’s other goalscorer in Istanbul, has been a fixture for Xavi since he returned in January from a muscle injury that saw him miss the first half of the season.

With a goal and vision of the game, Pedri is a mainstay for Xavi’s Barçelona, ​​who on Sunday will try to show against the eternal Whites’ rival that he is fully back after his difficult first part of the season. (D)