Barcelona will still see themselves in the La Liga title race, but with Real Madrid currently eight points clear and looking incredibly dominant, it will be extremely difficult for Xavi Hernandez’s side to eat into that margin. Instead, their main focus is likely to be on securing a place in the top four, thus qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
It’s not that certain that Barcelona will be playing in European football’s elite competition next season. They are only five points clear of Athletic Club, who have been in very good form in 2024. What’s more, the two teams will face off next weekend at the cauldron that is San Mames, where Ernesto Valverde’s side are very, very strong.
For that match, the last thing Barcelona would want is to be without any of their key players, but that is a serious possibility. MD have noted that Ronald Araujo, Joao Cancelo and Robert Lewandowski would miss the match against Los Leones if they are yellow carded against Getafe on Saturday – as would Oriol Romeu, who has been a bit-part player in recent months.
All three players would be a massive miss for Barcelona, so it could be in Xavi’s thinking to rest them against Getafe in order to ensure that they are definitely available to face Athletic Club. It remains to be seen whether this will be the case.
