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Football
12.03.2007 17:00
A favourable run-in
FC Barcelona are in pole position in the final weeks of the league season as their last 12 matches appear to be more favourable than that of their title-chasing rivals.
With only three months of the campaign remaining, the Blaugrana are top of the table and have placed their fellow contenders, Sevilla, Valencia and Real Madrid, both at home and away. The advantage is therefore in Barcelona’s hands as the other teams in the Champions League positions all have to play each before June.
Three crucial weeks
Weeks 30, 31 and 32 of the season look set to give Barça a real chance of edging ahead in the championship chase. In round 30, Valencia meet Sevilla in Mestalla while Frank Rijkaard’s side take on Real Mallorca in Camp Nou. The following weekend sees Valencia travel to el Bernabeu to play Real Madrid at the same time as Barca visit Villarreal. Week 33 sees Barcelona go to San Sebastián to play Real Sociedad, while Sevilla play away against Real Madrid. The games between the other three title candidates will likely see one, if not all, of them drop crucial points and allow the Blaugrana to move clear at the top.
Playing the strugglers
Another statistic which favours Barca is that they have to take on five of the bottom seven teams in the first division (Real Betis, Real Mallorca, Levante, Gimnastic and Real Sociedad). Meanwhile, Valencia and Real Madrid play only four of the teams battling against the drop, while Sevilla, who are currently level on points with Barcelona, play only three of them.
Close in the first half
In the first half of the current season, the points won by the four teams at the top against the same 12 opponents that now remain, was very even. Real Madrid won the most points as they picked up 24, while Barcelona and Sevilla garnered 23 and Valencia manager just 20. If the same points are won in the second half of the campaign then Barca will win the league title for the third consecutive season.
Unbeaten at home
A key aspect to the final stetch of the campaign is that Barcelona will be confident of picking up
maximum points at home from their remaining six matches in Camp Nou. Up until now, Rijkaard’s
team have won 33 of the 39 points that have been available from their home games, with ten wins and
three draws in the 13 games.
Deportivo, Mallorca, Levante, Betis, Getafe and Espanyol are the opponents for Barca’s remaining home games. The last thing that pushes Barcelona in front of their rivals is the team’s incredible scoring record as they have already netted 53 goals this term.
Deportivo, Mallorca, Levante, Betis, Getafe and Espanyol are the opponents for Barca’s remaining home games. The last thing that pushes Barcelona in front of their rivals is the team’s incredible scoring record as they have already netted 53 goals this term.
