Just a little more than a week ago Barcelona were sitting comfortably at the top of the table, 9 points above second place Atletico Madrid and 10 above Real. It seemed like the league was going to be a formality given the Catalans’ unstoppable form this season and a huge gap between them and the Madrid clubs. Suddenly things have become more complicated, with Barcelona succumbing to a second successive defeat in La Liga to Real Sociedad after last week’s el clasico loss, thus reducing the gap at the top to 3 points. Going into the game without a win in their last six attempts at Anoeta, the Catalans conceded an early goal when Mikel Oyarzabal headed the ball into the net meeting Xabi Prieto’s cross from the right. Without Luis Suarez (who missed the game due to suspension) Barcelona found it difficult to break the Basque side’s defence and despite the lion’s share of possession, they couldn’t find the much needed goal. They endured a disappointing first half where they couldn’t control the game for much part but improved in the second half. In the second half, most of the game was played in Real Sociedad’s half with Barcelona controlling the ball but they were not allowed to create enough chances by a compact Sociedad defense, thus leading to a third consecutive game without a win in La Liga for the Catalan giants and also another disappointing day at the Anoeta. Barcelona have collected just 1 point out of a possible 9 and it seems like they have been hit by a major blip in form just at the wrong time when the season is drawing towards its close and both Real and Atletico right at their tail and the final stages of the Champions League left to play. Its necessary for Luis Enrique’s side to get some confidence before the final stretch of the season and they might get exactly that if they beat Atletico, who must be rejuvenated after putting up a good performance in the first leg (despite losing 2-1 away) and closing the gap at the top in the weekend, in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg that is to be played this Wednesday. Also Real Madrid, who may have suffered an embarrassing defeat in the Champions League last week at the hands of Wolfsburg have been in good form in the last few weeks in La Liga and will be expected to keep the pressure on the Catalans. With only six games left to play in the league and Atletico and Real only 3 and 4 points behind respectively, the league seems to be heading towards a tight finish. author
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