Barcelona Have a Great Chance to Celebrate Title in Catalan Derby

BARCELONA, WEDNESDAY - Barcelona has two possibilities to secure the championship title of the 2024-2025 La Liga in the 36th match against their city rivals, Espanyol, at the Cornella-El Prat Stadium, Friday (16/5/2024) at 02:30 WIB. Given this situation, the "Blaugrana" will mark their 11th moment of clinching the league title away from home.

The first possibility is that Barca could secure their 28th league title without playing. This could happen if their eternal and closest rival, Real Madrid, fails to defeat Real Mallorca at the Bernabeu Stadium on Thursday (15/4/2025) in the early hours of WIB.

This situation will lead Barca's Coach Hans-Dieter "Hansi" Flick to follow in the footsteps of two of his predecessors who secured the championship title without competing in their debut season. This moment was previously experienced by Johan Cruyff in the 1990-1991 season. At that time, Barca became champions after witnessing Atletico Madrid fall to Real Sociedad.

Pep Guardiola also began his legacy at Barcelona by securing the championship title before playing the 36th week match in the 2008-2009 season. Real's defeat to Villarreal 3-2 helped Barcelona celebrate.

On the other hand, if Real is able to conquer Mallorca, Barca only needs to defeat Espanyol to secure the league trophy or their third championship under Flick. With an additional three points, in that scenario, Barca would accumulate 85 points. Meanwhile, the maximum points that Real could achieve, if they win their last three matches of the season, would only be 84 points.

This condition will help Barca celebrate their 28th La Liga title for the first time at Espanyol's home ground. As a result, 11 out of 28 La Liga titles have been secured by Barca when playing away matches.

Although they are on the verge of being crowned champions of La Liga 2024-2025, the Blaugrana squad is still fully focused on the decisive match against Mallorca. Jules Kounde, the right-back for Barca, denied reports that he and several Barca players celebrated after defeating Real Madrid last weekend with singer Travis Scott.

"That's a lie. I wasn't there (at the party)," said Kounde, who is still suffering from an injury, as reported by Sport, Wednesday (14/5/2025).

Flick emphasized that his players must not become complacent with their success in winning the duel against Real, which brings them closer to the championship trophy. He also observed that Lamine Yamal and his teammates continue to demonstrate a strong work ethic during training sessions in preparation for facing Espanyol.

"We don't deserve to call ourselves champions yet. We are in a good position, but in football, no one knows what will happen," Flick was quoted as saying by Marca.

"Obtaining three more points (needed for the championship) is not easy. This is because our opponents also have interests and ambitions to defeat us," he stated subsequently.

Not only is the championship title at stake, but the upcoming Catalan derby match could also be particularly special for Barca midfielder, Pedri. He will be playing his 200th match with the Blaugrana.

In the 199 matches that have been played, Pedri has participated in 164 games since the kickoff. The young man from the Canary Islands has scored 26 goals and provided 21 assists for Barca. Pedri has the opportunity to become the youngest player in Barca's history to reach 200 appearances.

We are indeed in a good position, but in football, no one knows what will happen. (Hansi Flick)

In the Catalan derby, he will be 22 years, 5 months, and 18 days old. He will be younger than Lionel Messi, the record holder for the youngest player to reach 200 matches at Barca. He set that record at the age of 22 years, 8 months, and 30 days.

In the midst of preparations for the Catalan derby, Flick is troubled by the increasingly limited stock of defenders. Inigo Martinez, the center-back, is the latest name confirmed to be unavailable for play. He will serve a suspension due to accumulated yellow cards.

Flick has the opportunity to play the duet Pau Cubarsi with Ronald Araujo. This season, Araujo has only played nine times from the start. He only recorded 65 minutes per match. In el clasico, Araujo only warmed the bench.

Meanwhile, Eric Garcia will return to play in the right wing-back position to replace Kounde. Garcia was able to contribute two goals in the last two matches against Inter Milan and Real from his new position.

The unstable situation in Barca's defense is something Espanyol aims to capitalize on. It has been 18 years since Espanyol's last victory in the Catalan derby in domestic competition.

Espanyol's winger, Javi Puado, is a figure that Barcelona should be wary of if they do not want their championship celebration to be marred. Puado is an important player in Espanyol's attacking line. He has contributed 11 goals and three assists in 32 appearances in La Liga this season.

"We are playing at home. Of course, we hope to win. We also have the ambition to ensure mathematically staying in La Liga," Puado was quoted as saying on Espanyol's club website.

After enduring three consecutive matches with losses, namely 2-3 against Leganes, 1-2 against Real Betis, and 0-1 against Villarreal, Espanyol's position in 16th place with a total of 39 points is not yet secure. Leganes, sitting in 18th place or the top position in the relegation zone, still has the opportunity to accumulate a maximum of 43 points.

"We played very poorly in the last three matches. Facing a derby that is important for all parties involved with this club, we must perform with maximum energy and desire," said Puado afterwards.