With the win at the start of the 28th round in the empty stadium, Sevilla defended third place in the table, initially eight points behind FC Barcelona and six points behind Real Madrid.
Doe Covid-19 pandemic had forced the top Spanish division to take a three-month break. The last game before that was played on March 10th by Eibar and Real Sociedad (1: 2). Because of the virus, it was already a “ghost game”. The ball was last rolled in front of the grandstands on March 8. Back then, Betis Seville beat Real Madrid 2-1 sensationally.
The usual title duel between Bracelona and Real
With this, the “Royal” had to relinquish the lead to Barca. The usual title duel is of course the focus of the eleven rounds that are still outstanding. Arch rivals are currently separated by two points and Barcelona will be able to set the pace in the coming weeks. Starting with the guest appearance in Mallorca on Saturday evening, the Catalans will always be in action in the first four rounds in front of the Madrilenians. They have Eibar guests on Sunday evening.
Since the games will be played without spectators and the Estadio Bernabeu is currently being renovated, Real is playing its home games in the 6,000-seat Estadio Alfredo di Stefano, which is actually the home of the second team.
Recorded chants as an additional offer
Before the starting shot, the meaningfulness of “ghost games” was also debated. In principle, according to Barca coach Quique Setien, games without fans are unusual. “We will miss this drive and the support that has a huge impact,” said Setien, referring to the games in the league leaders’ huge Camp Nou.
The league tries to brighten the action for TV viewers. The Movistar broadcaster offers an option to provide acoustic accompaniment to the game with recorded fan songs and virtual fans in the stands. The sounds are produced by the audio makers of the FIFA video game series.
Barca’s hope rests on recovered stars
It will be “a strange situation for the players,” as Lionel Messi suspected. The world footballer recently paused in training due to a muscle injury, but according to Setien he should be fit again. This also applies to Luis Suarez. Messi’s storm partner healed his knee injury during the CoV break.
Suarez’s return fueled hopes in Barcelona that the defending champion would be better off than at the beginning of the year. Barca conceded a 0-2 defeat in a direct duel with Real at the beginning of March and would be behind the rival if the points were tied at the end of the season. “It would be strange if we were worse off than Barca after beating her,” said real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Immediately after winning the “Clasico”, the Madrilenians immediately lost their lead.
The rest of the program also speaks more for the Catalans. Barca are waiting until the end of the season on July 26th and a. still away appearances at Sevilla FC and Villarreal as well as home games against Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao. Real hosts Valencia, Getafe and Villarreal, while Real Sociedad and Bilbao are away. Plus points for coach Zinedine Zidane, who is under pressure to succeed, are Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio who have returned from injuries.
League boss Tebas speculates with games in front of fans
Away from the sporting stage, league boss Javier Tebas was the topic of conversation at the beginning of the week. He did not rule out the return of fans to stadiums this season. “I would be in favor of it as soon as possible and wherever possible,” said Tebas. The Spanish Football Association (RFEF) had previously ruled out the possibility of playing in front of an audience only in some stadiums – in cities where the fight against the corona virus has progressed. This would jeopardize the integrity of the competition, as Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.
Tebas said in a TV interview that no player or team member has recently been tested positive for the corona virus. Of course, despite the country-wide easing of measures, it was still important to be careful. With more than 27,000 deaths and around 240,000 cases of infection, Spain is one of the countries most affected by the pandemic worldwide.
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