Real Madrid have a big surprise in store for Barcelona

Real Madrid currently sit eight points ahead of Barcelona in the LaLiga table after 26 matches played, and their recent blowout win over Girona seals Los Blancos as the clear team to beat in Spanish football.

Last season, it was a completely different story, as Barcelona overwhelmed Real Madrid and won LaLiga pretty early, beating their historic rivals 2-1 in the final league Clásico of the season.

Although Real Madrid hold a commanding lead over Barça, who are not even ahead of local rivals Girona in the league table, the title race is still far from over.

Supporters of both sides have Apr. 21 circled on their calendars, because that will be the final Clásico of the season and, likely, the last chance for the Blaugrana to make things truly interesting in this title race.

However, it appears Real Madrid are the ones with the ace up their sleeve. Manager Carlo Ancelotti loves dropping coy hints, and he told reporters at a press conference that injured stars Thibaut Courtois and Éder Militão could be back after the Apr. 14 match against Mallorca.

The next match after that one against Mallorca is none other than El Clásico. So basically, Ancelotti is telling the world that Real Madrid are targeting the Barcelona game specifically as the return date for their best defensive players.

Courtois is the best goalkeeper in the world, while Militão is arguably the best center back on the planet. Both players would be decisive in El Clásico and massive, game-changing boosts for the Merengues as they look to put the title beyond all doubt.

Madridistas won’t want to underestimate the threat Barça carry, especially after they literally lost the league to the Blaugrana in 2022/23, but many of them are viewing the Courtois and Militão returns as bigger keys to the Champions League knockouts.