Nine point difference going into Clásico
FC Barcelona host Real Madrid this Sunday at Spotify Camp Nou (9pm CET), and it is five years since this fixture has been played with such a huge gap of nine points between the rival sides.
No room for complacency
In 2017/18 Barça led Madrid by a quite extraordinary 15 points going into the Clásico, the biggest difference ahead of a game in the Barça stadium for 35 years. Barça had already been confirmed league champions, but that particular game ended in a draw.
In 2015/16, when Barça were managed by Luis Enrique, there was 10-point gap between the teams when Real Madrid came into town, and the all-whites ended up winning 2-1, the first of three consecutive defeats that meant Barça ultimately only won the championship by a single point.
Let those two games be a warning. The proverbial form book goes out of the window when it comes to El Clásico, and it is no time to relax!
Big leads, Liga wins
Further cases in point. In 2012/13, 2008/09 and 2005/06, Barça led Real by 8, 9 and 11 points respectively, but two of those games ended in draws. Only the Josep Guardiola coached class of 2008/09 won the Clásico, although in all three cases, the Catalans ended up being crowned league champions.
So, FC Barcelona have been crowned champions with a healthy points difference in favour when the league Clásico comes along regardless of the result. The aforementioned four occasions are still fresh in the memory and bring a smile to the face, but there were two other times in history that saw Clásico wins for Barça before they went on to with the title, namely seasons 1990/91 and 1947/48.
This season's Spotify Camp Nou Clásico may set a precedent, let's see how it turns out and which team ends up being crowned Liga champions.