On Sunday, La Liga leaders Barcelona suffered a shocking 1-0 loss at Almeria and failed to take advantage of Real Madrid’s stalemate with Atletico in the derby to increase their lead.
Almeria defeated Barca for the first time ever thanks to a superb first-half goal from El Bilal Toure, handing the Catalans just their second league loss of the season.
Although Xavi Hernandez’s side still have a seven-point lead over champions Madrid, their morale deteriorated after losing to Manchester United in the Europa League last week.
Barca face Madrid in a Clasico Copa del Rey semi-final first leg on Thursday at the Santiago Bernabeu, with their vulnerabilities starting to show.
Victory would have stretched their advantage in the title race to double figures, as they bid to win La Liga for the first time since 2019.
Madrid beat Barcelona in the league in October in their first defeat and Almeria ended Barca’s subsequent 13-game unbeaten league run.
FT: AlmerΓa 1-0 Barcelona.
Barça fail to create a 10 point gap with Real Madrid who instead brought the gap back to 7 points. pic.twitter.com/oUkfN4ILIs
β ππ π ππππ π (@TheEuropeanLad) February 26, 2023
What Did Xavi Say About The Barcelona Loss?
“I’m very angry because I think we played our worst game of the season,” Xavi told Movistar.
“Above all in the first half, we couldn’t move the ball around. We lacked intensity, speed, on a day where we couldn’t mess up.
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“We did not show the passion (we needed) to win the game. In the second half, yes, but they defended well.”
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