Barcelona and Real Madrid are set to resume their domination in the Spanish league this weekend, as their rivals band together to level the financial playing field against the two giants.
Spain’s traditional powerhouses recorded lopsided victories in the opening league round and could very well do so again Saturday as Barcelona is at Real Sociedad and Madrid welcomes Getafe in a Spanish capital derby.
With the duo’s grip on Spanish football ever strengthening, at least a dozen of the remaining 18 topflight clubs are meeting Thursday to discuss measures aimed at improving TV revenue sharing. About half of that money currently goes to Barcelona and Madrid, with the pair pulling in at least $250-million.
For Barcelona, centre back Carles Puyol trained normally Thursday and the Spain defender could play for the first time since May after recovering from knee surgery. Gerard Pique remains sidelined for the match at the Anoeta stadium with a calf injury.
Coach Pep Guardiola survived without the pair in the season’s opening win, using a Johan Cruyff-, total football-inspired 3-4-3 formation that displayed the virtues of Barcelona’s star-studded midfield and allowed newcomers Cesc Fabregas and Alexis Sanchez to get on the scoresheet.
“Evidently this Barca is better than last year’s,” defender Daniel Alves said. “We’ve incorporated great players, world stars, so it’s inevitable we’ll be better.”
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