Real Madrid‘s win at Huesca on Saturday afternoon has returned them to second place in La Liga, although Barcelona could regain the spot if they tonight beat Real Betis.
Atletico Madrid lead with 50 points, seven clear of Madrid and ten clear of Barcelona. There is, however, an economic reward to finishing second according to a report in Mundo Deportivo. By qualifying for the Supercopa de Espana it would raise €6m, a welcome injection during covid-19.
The blaugrana could also secure their place in the Supercopa if they can beat Sevilla in the semi-final of the Copa del Rey, the first leg of which is this week. If the club that finishes second in the league also makes it to the Copa final then whoever finishes third will get a Supercopa berth, so the same applies to Sevilla.
Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman yesterday touched on how his charges have a much heavier fixture load than Atletico. Between the first day of 2021 and the first leg of the Champions League on 16 February, when the Catalans lock horns with Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona play 13 games compared to Atletico’s nine.
