08.03.2007 11:50
The advantage of being ahead
Barça have not lost any of their nine last meetings with Real Madrid when they have been the side highest in the league table. The record is seven Barça wins and two draws.
It seems that when Madrid come to the Camp Nou, Barça have always performed better when they are
better positioned in the league table. And in seven of those cases, Barcelona have gone on to win
the league title. And should Barcelona win on Saturday, they will put no fewer than eight points
between them and their historic rivals.
5-0
The game that is remembered most fondly in the Catalan capital is the famous 5-0 win of 93-94
when Johan Cruyff was in charge. Barça were second to Deportivo La Coruña at the time, with Real
Madrid two points behind them. The highlight of that unforgettable evening was Romario’s
splendid hat trick.
More thrashings
Three of those nine games have ended in 3-0 wins for Barcelona. Those games were in the
97-98, 98-99 and 04-05 seasons, and each time Barça went on to conquer the title, twice under Louis
Van Gaal and once again under Frank Rijkaard.
Two draws
The only times that Barça failed to beat Madrid in any of these games were in
99-00 and 05-06. The former ended 2-2, with the Barça goals being supplied by Rivaldo and
Figo, with Raul answering with a brace for Real Madrid. Last season also ended even, with
Ronaldinho opening the scoring for the home side, but his Brazilian compatriot Ronaldo replying a
few minutes later for the whites.
Last defeat in 83-84
The last time Barcelona led Real Madrid but lost at home to them in the league was way back
in the 83-84 season, 23 years ago! Barça were coached then by César Luis Menotti and lost 2-1, with
Quni’s goal ultimately counting for nothing.