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Real-ity bites as Ancelotti nears exit while Madrid reboot
The Straits Times
|May 11, 2025
El Clasico is a fixture rarely played without fanfare, and the white-hot rivalry reheating between Barcelona and Real Madrid has once again made it global appointment viewing.
The hype may not quite be at the level of Cristiano Ronaldo versus Lionel Messi, reaching its peak when Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola were opposing coaches, but the anticipation is huge.
Both clubs are out of the Champions League, Barcelona on the wrong end of an all-time classic semi-final in midweek, losing 4-3 to Inter Milan to bow out 7-6 on aggregate, with the Spanish league title the remaining prize to play for.
With a four-point lead and four matches remaining, a Barca win at Camp Nou on May 11 would surely take the title back to Catalonia, as they did with the Copa del Rey on April 26.
That would confirm a desperately disappointing season for Real, who had won the Champions League, La Liga and Spanish Super Cup the previous season.
This story is from the May 11, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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