Barcelona can clinch first Spanish league title since Messi adiós

By: Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press Posted: 7:27 AM CDT Thursday, May. 11, 2023

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona can clinch the Spanish league title this weekend and finally start moving past the exit of Lionel Messi three years ago.

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BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona can clinch the Spanish league title this weekend and finally start moving past the exit of Lionel Messi three years ago.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/05/2023 (1213 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona can clinch the Spanish league title this weekend and finally start moving past the exit of Lionel Messi three years ago.

The club needs only two of the remaining 15 points in play to win its first domestic league since 2019. Its first chance at securing the title is on Sunday when it visits Espanyol.

Barcelona is 13 points ahead of Atletico Madrid, and Xavi Hernández’s team holds the head-to-head tiebreaker. Real Madrid, last year’s champion, is 14 points back in third and solely focused on its Champions League semifinal with Manchester City.

FILE - Betis' goalkeeper Rui Silva, left, clears the ball in front Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Barcelona and Real Betis at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain, on April 29, 2023. With the Spanish league title nearly in its grasp, Barcelona can finally start moving past the exit of Lionel Messi three years ago. The Catalan club only needs 2 of the remaining 15 points in play to win its first domestic league since 2019. It will get its first chance at clinching the title on Sunday May 14, 2023 when it visits Espanyol. (AP Photo/Joan Monfort, File)

The last time Barcelona lifted the Liga trophy Messi was still the leader of a feared European powerhouse then coached by Ernesto Valverde. That capped a run of eight league titles in 11 seasons, among other trophies including three European Cups.

Since then, Barcelona has suffered a crippling financial crisis that led to the loss of the world’s best player and a subsequent decline on the field.

Barcelona managed to win the 2021 Copa del Rey – Messi’s last title before leaving for Paris Saint-Germain – under Ronald Koeman, but the 2019-20 and the 2021-22 campaigns ended with no silverware.

To turn this around this season, the club leadership made the controversial decision to sell off part of its future television revenues, as well as other assets, in order to inject new talent such as star striker Robert Lewandowski, winger Raphinha, and defenders Jules Koundé and Andreas Christensen.

Sergio Busquets is set to add to his 32 titles with Barcelona, including eight Spanish leagues, before he ends his career at his boyhood club come season’s end. The 34-year-old midfielder announced on Wednesday he will leave Camp Nou this summer.

LIKE A FINAL

Barcelona faces a derby at a rival in desperate need of pulling off an upset.

Espanyol is in danger of joining the already relegated Elche in the second division next season. In second-to-last place, Espanyol is three points behind Getafe, also in danger, and Valencia, which is clinging to safety.

“We know that this is a life-or-death game,” Espanyol midfielder Nico Melamed said. “We will treat this like a final.”

The game will feature a duel between Lewandowski, who leads the league with 19 goals, and the competition’s third-top scorer in Espanyol striker Joselu Mato with 14.

A second-half penalty earned and converted by Joselu snatched Espanyol a 1-1 draw at Barcelona in December.

But Espanyol’s last win over Barcelona in any competition came in the 2018 Copa del Rey. Its last win over its mightier opponent in the league was in 2009.