In the span of 24 hours, Barcelona and Real Madrid crashed out of the Champions League, leaving only La Liga matches left on their respective schedules.
The two biggest powerhouses in Spain fell short on Europe’s biggest stage in the quarterfinals. The Catalans were eliminated 3–2 on aggregate by Atlético Madrid on Tuesday and then Los Blancos were bested 6–4 on aggregate by Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Without any European glory to fight for, the bitter rivals now must put their full attention back on La Liga in the final stretch of the season. For Barcelona, that’s no problem; After all, Hansi Flick’s men sit nine points clear at the summit, another league title firmly within reach.
Real Madrid, though, are now hit with the reality of a trophyless season unless they can pull off some miracle in the Spanish top-flight in their next slew of fixtures, headlined by what promises to be a fiery Clásico.
Barcelona, Real Madrid’s Next Five La Liga Games
|
Barcelona |
Real Madrid |
|---|---|
|
Celta Vigo (H) – April 22 |
Alavés (H) – April 21 |
|
Getafe (A) – April 25 |
Real Betis (A) – April 24 |
|
Osasuna (A) – May 3 |
Espanyol (A) – May 3 |
|
Real Madrid (H) – May 10 |
Barcelona (A) – May 10 |
|
Alavés (A) – May 13 |
Real Oviedo (H) – May 13 |
Without the Champions League to worry about, Barcelona can freely—albeit begrudgingly—go back to what they do best: dominating La Liga teams. After a brief pause in domestic action for the Copa del Rey final to play out this weekend, the Catalans return back to action on Wednesday against Celta Vigo, a team they already put four goals past in the reverse fixture.
A few days later, Barcelona are headed to Getafe. Although the eighth-place side picked up its form over the last two months, tallying impressive wins over Villarreal, Real Madrid and Real Betis, it is still not on the defending Spanish champions’ level, as evidenced by the 38 points separating them in the standings. The same can be said for ninth-place Osasuna.
After the back-to-back away games, Flick’s men return to the Camp Nou to take on Real Madrid. The result likely no longer plays a role in what is essentially an already decided La Liga title race, but the biggest rivalry in the sport still sets the stage for a mouthwatering Clásico between two teams who truly hate each other.
Barcelona could still be coming down from the high of a clash with Los Blancos when they must turn their attention to Alavés, a team sitting just above the drop zone, desperate to avoid relegation.
Speaking of Alavés, Real Madrid return to domestic action against the struggling side at the Bernabéu on Tuesday. The match should be nothing more than a routine win before Álvaro Arbeloa’s men travel to the Estadio Benito Villamarín, where they must face off with a Real Betis side capable of giving them plenty of headaches.
Then, Los Blancos are in for a daunting trip to Catalonia. First up is Espanyol, who have won two of their last three homes matches against the 15-time European champions. They have yet to win a match in 2026, though, which will leave Real Madrid looking ahead to Barcelona.
After losing four Clásicos last season, winning two of three in 2025–26 would be some much-needed redemption for Los Blancos—even if the bout at the Camp Nou is for nothing more than pride.
Arbeloa’s men then get to return to the Bernabéu after three consecutive away matches. Waiting for them are relegation-bound Real Oviedo, a team with just six wins in 31 league matches this season.
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