FCBARCELONA.CAT

07.04.2010 14:21

Will history repeat itself?

Roger Bogunyà

Saturday’s match against Real Madrid will be only the second time the two sides have reached the second “El Clasico” of the season tied on points. The first time this happened Barca won and went on to lift the league title.

On 2nd March 1952, the old Les Corts stadium hosted the second El Clasico of the season. The two clubs were tied on 33 points with just five matches left to play after the big game itself. Barca won that match 4-2 (César 3, Vila Soler1) and finished the season as league champions.

Different circumstances

A comparison between the 1951/52 season and the current season is inevitable and the fact is there are some important differences. In 1952 the second meeting of the two clubs was in Barcelona rather than Madrid and their records up to that point had been rather different.

This season, Real Madrid has a 100% home record but 58 years ago the story was very different as both teams had suffered from inconsistency. Before the big game they had lost 5 matches apiece, enabling Atletico Madrid to compete for the league title. Barca’s victory handed Atletico second place in the table although at the end of the season they were overtaken by Athletic Club Bilbao.

A distant third

However, nothing similar will happen this season as Barca and Real Madrid are 21 points clear of third placed Valencia, with just 24 points still up for grabs. There has never before been such a huge gap between the top two places and third place in La Liga.

Two record breaking teams

Both Barca and Real Madrid are achieving great results in the Spanish League. Real are on an unbeaten 12-match home run and are just 3 matches away from breaking the all-time league record established by the club in 1960/61 season. They have also won all 15 of their home matches so far.

However, Barca’s figures are just as good. If last season was the best ever in the Club’s history, this year it looks as if a few of those records might be broken. They have two points more than at the same stage of the season last year and have only lost once in 30 games. As such they’re on the way to equalling or even breaking the record of just two defeats established by the team managed by English coach Terry Venables in the 1984/85 season.

So, just as happened on 2nd March 1952, this Saturday’s El Clasico could decide the league title one way or another.