La Liga have confirmed that the second El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid will be played at the Camp Nou on 2 April. The match will kick off at 20:30 local time.
Matchday 31 is scheduled for after the international break in March. All leagues in Europe will play their last league game in March on the weekend of 19-20 March before their players join their respective national teams to play two matches during the two-week break.
Spain themselves play Italy on 24 March at Udinese’s Dacia Arena in Italy followed by another away game in Romania at the National Arena in Bucharest.
What will be a matter of concern for both Real Madrid and Barcelona is that they will have to play a Champions League quarter-final tie just three days after the Clasico, provided they qualify. Both clubs won the first leg of their Round of 16 tie scoring two away goals.
Real Madrid beat AS Roma 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico while Barcelona beat Arsenal 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium, albeit a week apart. But the quarter-finals will be held in the same week. Zinedine Zidane’s side play the second leg on 8 March while the Catalan club play on 17 March.
Barcelona hold upper hand in La Liga title race
After their 2-1 win over Sevilla on Sunday night, Luis Enrique’s side took all three points and look all set to defend their La Liga crown. After 26 rounds of action, Barcelona now have 66 points – a commanding 8 point lead over second-placed Atletico Madrid. The Rojoblancos beat Real Madrid 1-0 on Saturday to deal Zidane’s side a huge blow in the title race.
“Before you ask, the league is over,” Zidane said after the game. “It was always difficult.
“I told the players that if we lose points, it will be more difficult. We are not going to throw the league away though, whatever happens.”
Real Madrid now find themselves down in third place, a full 12 points behind Barcelona. The club had started well this season and did not lose a game in the league until November when they lost consecutive games against Sevilla and Barcelona. The first Clasico at the Bernabeu saw Barcelona win 4-0 with Luis Suarez grabbing a brace. It also marked the return of Lionel Messi after a two-month injury layoff.
Barcelona are currently on a 34-game unbeaten run and tied Real Madrid’s record in the process. They could break the record when they face Rayo Vallecano in the next game on 3 March.
