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5 hours ago
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Barcelona are edging close to bagging the La Liga title this season, with the earliest chance of winning in this weekend's El Clasico. The Catalan club are slated to face Real Madrid on Sunday, May 11, at Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium.
Barcelona are currently on top of the La Liga table with 79 points and have four matches left for the ongoing campaign.
This week seems to be a crucial one for the Catalan club as they also have their second leg clash in the Champions League semifinal against Inter Milan on May 6, at San Siro. The first leg ended in a 3-3 draw.
Following El Clasico this week, Barcelona are set to meet Espanyol on May 15 at RCDE Stadium. However, it seems there might be a chance that Hansi Flick's men would have to play in an empty stadium for the Catalan Derby.
Why might Barcelona play against Espanyol in an empty stadium?
Espanyol were on the receiving end of a 2-1 draw against Real Betis Balompie on Sunday at RCDE Stadium. After being tied up 1-1 till the first 90 minutes, Manchester United loanee Antony netted the winning goal for the visitors in the first minute of added time.
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Following the goal by Antony, three lighters were thrown onto the pitch towards Betis goalkeeper Adrian Sanchez as per the match report by referee Guillermo Cuadra Fernandez. This led to a match coming to a halt, followed by an announcement that the game would not resume until the incidents stopped, according to Diario AS.
This is not the first time an incident like this has taken place in RCDE Stadium this season. Back in October, in a match against Villarreal, where Espanyol lost 2-1, a cup was thrown at referee Alejandro Quintero Gonzalez, that hit his chest.
Espanyol received a one-game suspended stadium ban and a €3000 penalty. However, it was also sanctioned that if any other offenses of a similar nature took place this season, they would face a stadium closure.
Disciplinary proceedings are expected to take place now after the incident last week. If the authorities decide to carry on with that punishment, then it could lead to the Catalan Derby being played in an empty stadium without any fans.
Players have often expressed the disadvantages of performing in an empty stadium, especially in crucial or knockout matches and derbies, claiming that the active fans' support fuels the game. Now, it remains to be seen what the authorities rule for the upcoming derby.
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