"El Clasico" decides La Liga championship: Yamal or Mbappe shines?

With Atlético Madrid officially "raising the white flag" early, the race for the La Liga championship will be decided after a fierce confrontation between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Montjuic Stadium in Catalunya at 9:15 p.m. today, May 11 (SCTV live coverage). The fourth El Clasico match of this season between these two "giants" has the meaning of a final match.

Historic milestone awaits coach Flick

Barcelona determined to win fourth El Clasico of the season

Coach Hansi Flick's team is leading the table with 79 points, 4 points ahead of arch-rivals Real Madrid. A win now will almost certainly help Barcelona win the La Liga championship and if the reverse happens, 3 away points will help coach Carlo Ancelotti's team narrow the gap to 1 point before the final three rounds.

Interesting fact: Barca have beaten Real in 3 Clasicos this season: 4-0 in the first leg, then the Spanish Super Cup final and the Copa del Rey final at the end of April. However, Real have won 4/5 of their most recent away matches against Barca.

If Barca continues to win against Real, coach Flick will become the first coach after Pep Guardiola to have 4 consecutive wins in El Clasico!

Barca not only have the advantage of playing at home but also welcome back their main striker Lewandowski, who has scored 40 goals this season. The Polish star will surely start after only coming on in the 90th minute of the semi-final second leg defeat to Inter Milan in midweek. He has scored 12 goals against Real in 17 matches.

However, in terms of physical strength, Real must be more energetic after having a full week of rest before El Clasico, although the motivation in the big match is not necessarily a disadvantage but also a motivation to help Barca exert all their strength for the most important victory of the season.

3 focal points Yamal, Mbappe and Bellingham

Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe will be the two focal points of tonight's big match.

Much has been said about Lamine Yamal's influence this season – particularly in the Champions League, where Barcelona reached the semi-finals and lost a dramatic second leg to Inter Milan in midweek.

The Spanish right-winger, just 17, has assisted 21 goals in all competitions for Barca this season – and scored 14 himself.

In three El Clasico matches this season, he has scored two goals and provided two assists.

Mbappe, who was a household name when he was just 17, has had a similarly explosive debut campaign with Real Madrid. The France captain, now 26, has scored 35 goals in all competitions. In La Liga, he is just one goal behind Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski in the race for the Golden Boot – 24 goals to 25.

Besides, midfielder Jude Bellingham is also expected to find his scoring instinct in El Clasico?

Last season, the English star in his first year at Real Madrid was the "king of El Clasico".

Real have won all three of their meetings with Barca, including the Spanish Super Cup final, and Bellingham has been the hero in both La Liga victories. Last October, he scored a 30-yard wonder goal to equalise, before volleying in stoppage time to seal a 2-1 win.

In April, he continued to make the Bernabeu explode with the decisive goal in the last minute, helping Real win a thrilling 3-2.

However, Bellingham's form in El Clasico this season has been lacklustre. Despite maintaining an impressive record of 13 goals in all competitions, he has yet to score in El Clasico matches - a stark contrast to his 23 goals last season when Real won the title.

Attractive Champions League ticket

Besides the two-horse race between Barcelona and Real Madrid, the battle for a place in next season's European Cup is equally exciting. According to UEFA regulations, Spain is awarded up to 5 places in the Champions League.

In addition to the trio of Barca, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid who have already secured tickets, Bilbao will almost certainly be the fourth representative of La Liga in the continental arena.

Betis (left) will compete for Top 5 with Villarreal

The final position is still unclear, but Villarreal is in the lead with the latest victory with a score of 1-0 at Girona. Betis has not played in round 35 and is 4 points behind Villarreal, forced to take full points against Osasuna in the early morning of May 12 to continue to maintain hope.

Celta Vigo (left) dreams of Europa League tickets while Vallecano looks forward to a place in the Conference League

At the bottom of the table, Valladolid has secured relegation with 16 points, but Las Palmas (32 points) and Leganés (31 points) still have a chance to stay in La Liga as long as they can win all three final matches.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/sieu-kinh-dien-quyet-dinh-ngoi-vo-dich-la-liga-yamal-hay-mbappe-toa-sang-196250511084659278.htm