Barcelona must regroup after Inter loss to face Real Madrid in crucial La Liga clasico

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Barcelona must regroup after Inter loss to face Real Madrid in crucial La Liga clasico

2025-05-08 19:02 Last Updated At：19:11

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona must recover from its painful Champions League exit in time to face Real Madrid on Sunday with the La Liga title on the line.

Hansi Flick’s team was moments away from reaching its first European final in a decade when Inter Milan conjured a 4-3 extra-time comeback on Tuesday. The Italian side won 7-6 on aggregate in one of the most memorable knockout ties in recent soccer history.

Barcelona's youthful team was left reeling from the loss, but Flick immediately tried to put the focus on the upcoming clasico with only four days separating the two crucial games.

“This game is over and now we have to pick ourselves up and look ahead as we have the clasico coming up,” Flick said after the defeat at San Siro. “I will wake the team up.”

Barcelona leads Madrid by four points and a victory would give it a comfortable cushion, but a Madrid win would throw open the title chase in the three remaining rounds.

Barcelona is seeking a double after having beaten Madrid 3-2 in extra time in the Copa del Rey final two weeks ago. A Barcelona triumph would also complete a sweep of all four clasicos this season; it beat Madrid 5-2 in the Spanish Super Cup in January after winning 4-0 at Madrid in the league in October.

Madrid, in contrast, is trying to salvage a disappointing season by successfully defending its La Liga title ahead of this summer’s expanded Club World Cup.

Lamine Yamal, who played superbly against Inter only to be denied a second-leg goal, pledged that Barcelona take another run at the Champions League title next season. But he ended that message with a rallying cry ahead of Madrid’s visit.

“Sunday is another final and we have to stick together. Go Barça!” Yamal wrote after the game.

The wear and tear of the season has taken its toll and left several players, especially in defense, on the injured list.

Madrid will be without its entire first-choice backline of Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militão, Dani Carvajal and Ferland Mendy. Midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, who moonlights as a left back, is also out.

That means youth player Raúl Asenscio and midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni will likely anchor Madrid’s defense with Lucas Vázquez and Fran García as full backs.

Barcelona is hoping left back Alejandro Balde will recover from a left-thigh injury that ruled him out of the series against Inter.

Right back Jules Koundé, who netted the winner in the Copa del Rey final, has been ruled out by a left-thigh injury. Ronald Araújo, or perhaps Éric García, will take his place and face off against Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior.

Flick will have to decide if Robert Lewandowski or Ferran Torres starts at striker. Lewandowski missed several matches before he came on as a late substitute against Inter this week but was unable to prove effective.

Watch out for the midfield battle between Barcelona’s Pedri González and Madrid’s Jude Bellingham. The playmakers are critical to directing their teams’ attacks.

All three prior clasicos have been high scoring — at least for Barcelona with 12 total goals to Madrid's four, so expect more goals against the depleted defenses at the Olympic Stadium.

Led by Raphinha, Yamal and Lewandowski, Barcelona has a league-high 91 goals, compared to Madrid’s 69. Both sides have conceded 33 goals this campaign.

Lewandowski leads the league with 25 goals. Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé is right behind with 24. But while Yamal and Raphinha are having breakout seasons, Vinícius and Rodrigo have been inconsistent.

With Barcelona ruling the statistics and recent meetings, Madrid will have to capitalize on its extra days of rest and hope that Barcelona’s morale was damaged by Inter.

The vibe in Spain is that Sunday’s game will likely be the last big contest for Carlo Ancelotti as the Madrid coach.

He is under contract through the next campaign but is widely expected to leave the club after a rough season in which the team played worse despite adding Mbappé to its squad.

Brazil has been courting Ancelotti for over a year and it appears talks are still ongoing with the veteran manager. Ancelotti has repeatedly deflected questions regarding his future by saying he will announce his plans when the season ends.

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Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.