BARCELONA: After Barcelona salvaged their treble hopes in a thrilling Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan, Hansi Flick’s side will turn their attention back to LaLiga where a victory would put them in a strong position before another Clasico.
The LaLiga leaders came from behind twice to earn a 3-3 draw with Inter in the first leg on Wednesday but continued to show defensive frailty.
“We conceded a lot of goals at home again and it’s unacceptable,” Barca forward Raphinha said.
Flick’s side have scored over 150 goals in all competitions this season but a hectic schedule has taken its toll on the home stretch and Barca have kept only one clean sheet in their last five games.
“Of course, every team has its strengths and weaknesses,” Flick told reporters.
“When you play every three days, it is not easy to work on certain things. But at the moment the situation is this: these are things that happen.”
Barcelona have less than 72 hours to rest before they play Real Valladolid on Saturday, an easy fixture on paper since LaLiga’s bottom side were relegated from the top flight last week.
Barca thrashed Valladolid 7-0 in August as the team with just four wins and the worst defensive record (81 goals conceded in 33 games) welcome the leaders with nothing to lose but their pride.
KOUNDE BLOW
Barcelona were dealt another injury blow after Jules Kounde went down with a calf injury against Inter and had to be replaced.
No Barca player has played more minutes in LaLiga and the Champions League this season and the Frenchman had played more than 100 successive games for club and country since November, 2023.
Victory would give Barca a seven-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, whose defensive problems are far worse as they prepare to play Celta Vigo a day later.
Real have nothing left to play for apart from the league title after they lost to Barca in the Copa del Rey final and were knocked out by Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Their recent form has rung alarm bells at the Bernabeu and Spanish media have reported that manager Carlo Ancelotti is on his way out of the club at the end of the season, with Brazil keen on securing his services.
Real must find a way to close the gap or risk handing Barcelona the LaLiga title when they face each other on May 11.
The Spanish giants have faced off three times this season in domestic competitions and Barcelona have come out on top each time, scoring 12 goals.
Third-placed Atletico Madrid kick off the weekend’s action at Deportivo Alaves and although challenging Barcelona for the title is next to impossible with a 10-point gap, they could reel in their city rivals.
Athletic Bilbao are safe in fourth spot for the time being as they focus on the Europa League semifinal first leg against Manchester United on Thursday before a trip to Real Sociedad on Sunday.
