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FC Barcelona take on Real Madrid tonight in a season-defining encounter against at the Santiago Bernabeu.
A win tonight against Carlo Ancelotti’s men would see Barça reduce the gap to the top to just five points heading into the final six matches of the season.
With Real Madrid still having some tough fixtures coming up against Real Sociedad, Villarreal, and Real Betis, Barcelona would have an excellent chance to have a late go at the title and end the season with silverware.
For that to happen, though, there is simply no margin for error as far as the Blaugrana are concerned, starting from tonight’s match at the Bernabeu.
Three players risk suspension
With another challenging match against Valencia coming up next weekend, three Barcelona stars must proceed with caution tonight against Real Madrid to avoid getting suspended.
Indeed, Andreas Christensen, Oriol Romeu, and Ilkay Gundogan are all on four yellow cards in La Liga at this moment.
Another booking tonight against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu would see the count rise to five, which would then earn them a one-match automatic suspension for accumulation of cards.
While Romeu is not a starter, both Christensen and Gundogan are expected to feature from kickoff tonight and are crucial to Xavi’s plans for the coming weeks.
As such, losing them to an unnecessary suspension at this juncture of the season, especially if the title is still in play, would be a major blow for the current champions.
Therefore, both Christensen and Gundogan must stay disciplined and not risk getting suspended when they face Real Madrid.