Real Madrid are stewing after another El Clasico defeat all but ended their hopes of retaining the La Liga title this season. It marks their third straight El Clasico defeat to Barcelona, after Los Blancos went down in the Spanish Supercup final and the Copa del Rey, but they do still have one more bullet in the chamber.
It is the first time Real Madrid have lost three straight Clasico match-ups since 2012, during Pep Guardiola’s golden era with the Blaugrana, and it has not gone down well with Real Madrid. That frustration was evident at the end of the match.
Sport say that the Real Madrid dressing room have highlighted the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final (1-0) as their opportunity for revenge on Barcelona. It’s their final chance to cure themselves of disappointment against Barcelona this season.
Los Blancos know they will need to beat Barcelona to make it through to the final and face one of Osasuna or Athletic Club, which looks like their best shot at silverware this season. Failure to win will extend their fun of winless games in El Clasico to four, their longest since 2020, when they went seven games without doing so.