Friday, July 11, 2025
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Real on verge of La Liga triumph

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Madrid: Real Madrid could be crowned the Spanish Primera Liga champions if results go their way after the 35th round of matches in Spain this weekend.

Last weekend’s 2-1 away win against FC Barcelona gave Madrid a seven point lead over the Catalans, which means a win at home against Sevilla Sunday and a away defeat for Barcelona to Rayo Vallecano will crown Jose Mourinho’s men this seasons champions mathematically.

Madrid will have to overcome the disappointment of their Champions League exit against Bayern Munich Wednesday to stay focused, reported Xinhua.

Barcelona will have to pick themselves up following their European disappointment and will have to play without central defender Gerard Pique, who injured his head after clash against Chelsea Tuesday.

Sunday will also see third place Valencia battling fourth placed Malaga, who are trailing by three points.

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s unexpected passage through to the Champions League final has intensified the fraught fight for third place in the Premier League with just two weeks left in the campaign.

Before all eyes turn to Monday’s crucial Manchester derby between the league’s top two, Arsenal, Newcastle and Tottenham take the pitch knowing a fourth-place finish may no longer be enough to qualify for Europe’s premier competition.

If Chelsea beats Bayern Munich on May 19 to capture a first Champions League title and don’t finish in the top four of the Premier League, the team that finishes fourth will play in next season’s Europa League.

Arsenal looked sure of securing third but picked up just one point from home matches against Wigan and Chelsea last week to give in-form Newcastle and out-of-sorts Tottenham renewed hope of catching Arsene Wenger’s side.

“They were really good chances to put ourselves into third place comfortably. At the moment we still have to fight for third place,” said Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen, whose team visits Stoke on Saturday.

“It is not going to be easy, but that is because you play in England and it is not an easy league. Everybody can beat everybody … It is going to be tight, but it is going to be interesting.”

Sparked by the goals of striker Papiss Demba Cisse, Newcastle is the form team in the division after a spectacular run of seven straight wins heading into Saturday’s match at relegation-threatened Wigan.

Newcastle is fourth, three points behind Arsenal with a game in hand and three ahead of an ailing Spurs team that has won just one of its last nine league games.

Tottenham, whose dip in form has coincided with manager Harry Redknapp being linked with the vacant England job, hosts next-to-last Blackburn on Sunday to kick off arguably the easiest run-in of the Champions League hopefuls. “Of course we can turn things around,” Tottenham captain Ledley King said. “There are still four games to play, all winnable games if we perform to our capabilities.” (Agencies)

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