Barcelona, Real in unfamiliar territory

Empty stadiums and training-ground clashes add spice to La Liga title race

Lionel Messi had a familiar smile on his face when he stepped on to the Camp Nou grass for the first time in three months

“I’ve missed this place,” he said. But the largest stadium in Europe famous for its deafening, frenzied fans will be a far-from-familiar sight when Barcelona resume their La Liga title pursuit this week.

Instead, Barca’s home matches will be in front of cavernous empty stands at Camp Nou, while Real’s games will be at a different home altogether.

Significant shift

Two points separate Spain’s greatest rivals ahead of the return to top-flight games on Thursday, when the derby between Sevilla and Real Betis will end a 93-day hiatus and launch a five-week sprint to the finish. When games were suspended on March 12, Madrid had handed first place back to Barcelona, just after beating them at the Santiago Bernabeu, a seemingly significant shift in momentum that lasted exactly a week.

Given the many frailties of the two teams, few could predict who will emerge the stronger from the final 11 games of the season but a fresh factor will be who adapts better to strange surroundings.

Instead of their 81,000-capacity stadium in the citycentre, under renovation this summer, Real will play at the 6,000-seater Alfredo di Stefano Stadium, usually the home of the club’s reserve and Under-18 teams, at their training ground in the northern suburbs.

“It’s the first time we have to play games without the fans,” said Real’s Toni Kroos. “The team that adjusts best to this situation is the one that will win.”