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#2 The Champions League could be the focus for both teams
The key to ensuring that the Champions League final turns out to be an El Clasico could end up being the fact that for both sides, their domestic season is largely over. Barcelona have largely dominated La Liga this season – they haven’t lost a game and have only drawn 6, and with their most recent victory over second-placed Atletico Madrid putting them 8 points clear with 11 games remaining, they’ve practically wrapped the title up.
Real meanwhile sit in the third position currently, but they’re also a massive 15 points behind Barcelona at the top. The likelihood of them winning another La Liga trophy this season seems minimal. On the other hand, they’re also 9 points ahead of 5th placed Sevilla, meaning their Champions League spot for next season is almost sewn up, too.
What does this mean? Well, both sides can essentially take one eye off domestic football and afford to concentrate firmly on the Champions League. They’re already massively dominant over most of their domestic rivals so the odd slip-up won’t really harm them at this stage. They can afford to focus on their European campaigns where other Champions League rivals might not be able to. Which means it’s more likely we’ll see both sides in the final come May.
