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Real Madrid vs. Villarreal: Team News, Preview, Live Stream and TV Info
- Updated: April 20, 2016
So, here we are then. No one expected this, did they?
Well, no one other than Gareth Bale.
“You never know,” said Bale in the aftermath of Real Madrid’s 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the recent Clasico, “football does funny things to teams when you lose and you never know what could happen. All they [Barcelona] need is a few bad results, we need a few good ones and we’re right back in it.”
At the time, the Welshman’s comment felt unnaturally optimistic, fanciful even. Now, though, it looks prophetic.
Since Bale uttered those words, Barcelona have fallen in a hole, while Madrid have surged. When Gerard Pique put his side ahead in the Clasico, the Catalans led Madrid in La Liga by 13 points and Atletico by nine. Then Madrid hit back and won, and they have continued doing so since. Atletico have done the same. But Barcelona still haven’t recovered; two more defeats have followed.
Suddenly, then, we have a title race. With five games to play, the table reads Barcelona 76 points, Atletico 76 and Madrid 75. Luis Enrique’s men own the head-to-head advantage over both of their rivals, but this is now tight in a way few had foreseen, and on Wednesday, a trio of fixtures that once looked inconsequential are now big. Massive, actually.
At 8 p.m. (local time), Barcelona will begin their clash with Deportivo La Coruna at Razor; 45 minutes later, Atletico will tackle Athletic Bilbao at San Mames; not long after, Madrid will meet Villarreal at the Bernabeu.
It’s looks tasty. Due to a TV-fixated schedule with eight-to-nine weekend time slots, rarely in La Liga do we get this where games unfold at the same time and the complexion of everything changes by the minute. But here, in this midweek round, we will.
When Atletico begin at San Mames, Barcelona will have reached half-time against Depor. When Madrid kick off at the Bernabeu, Barcelona will be done but Atleti will still be in battle. The way it is set to unfold is intriguing as well, each game bigger than the last. More difficult, too.
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continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com
