Sports Burst - Are Betis The New Barcelona?
With UEFA threatening pain and torment for Barcelona and Real Madrid, could Betis be taking their Champions League place?
By Tim Stannard
The Europa League chase is upgraded for Betis who play to potentially take a Big Two Champions League place
Despite points being dropped by both Real Madrid and Barcelona in the league title race, there is still plenty of wiggle room left for both teams with three matchdays to go in LaLiga. But back to all that in a moment.
While around 23% of the capacity of the hive minds of Barca and Madrid will be taken up with calculating and cogitating these remaining two weeks of the season - "each time, there are less games" said an observant Ronald Koeman today - the remaining space will be filled by stress dreams and occasional panic tactics over the prospects for next season.
As it stands in our current reality, even if the LaLiga title is lost to Atletico Madrid, both teams are set in stone for the Champions League places. No biggie. At least they were, until some very ominous words from Aleksander Ceferin late last week. The UEFA president was giving institutional forgiveness to nine of the original 12 European Super League backers, all be it with "reintegration measures" which include financial penalties.
However, very special treatment is being held back for Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus who have yet to repent their Super League sins. "UEFA will deal with those clubs subsequently," warned Ceferin.
As we are in alternate reality land already where Elon Musk hosts Saturday Night Live, it is not a stretch to forecast that Barcelona and Real Madrid will be barred entry to next season's Champions League.
And this means that the usual battle for the Europa League places in LaLiga - the teams hovering around fifth, sixth and seventh - has become a charge for Champions League qualification as the substitutes for the exiled big two.
So, hello to Champions League-chasing Real Betis who are in action today and hosting Granada live on beIN SPORTS from 2:50PM ET / 11:50AM PT.
A win for Betis - who have contrived to draw their last six league games in a row - would move the team into sixth, just behind Real Sociedad and straight into next season's Champions League at the expense of a team that wanted them barred from the game's top flight.
Monday Night Soccer will give a deep-dive breakdown of the weekend's most controversial moments from 9:30PM ET / 6:30PM PT on beIN SPORTS.
Barca to kick off drama-zone midweek matches in LaLiga
Monday morning sees Zinedine Zidane's "I don't like to talk about referees, but I'm going to talk about referees" speech dominating the headlines in Spain, after a penalty being given to Real Madrid ended up being one handed out to Sevilla instead. Long story there if you didn't catch that.
However, there isn't too long to linger on the weekend just gone as the LaLiga title race is back in business as early as Tuesday. Each club are playing on each day through Thursday starting with Barcelona.
Barca could be sitting in the big chair for a whole day with a win at Levante on Tuesday, a team that really does seem to be on early vacay having picked up enough points to stay up. "We have got one title and we are in the fight for another," was the glass-half-full approach from Koeman today looking ahead to the game.
But then Atletico Madrid are back in action, going into the round with a two-point lead over the chasers. Despite being at home on Wednesday, the Rojiblancos probably have the toughest match against a Real Sociedad, which - in Sports Burst's reality - is also charging for the Champions League places along with Betis and Villarreal.
Real Madrid are up on Thursday at a Granada side that hasn't even played this weekend's round of action yet. So, while Atletico Madrid are currently sitting pretty at the top of LaLiga, take your pick of who will be up there on Thursday.
The Locker Room will try to do just that live on beIN XTRA at 6PM ET / 3PM PT.
PSG fight on another front in the Coupe de France
PSG had just a day to celebrate the concept of Neymar staying on at the club until 2025, which was announced on Saturday. Then the world caved in with a 1-1 draw at Rennes on Sunday which really does see Lille as bang on favorites to win Ligue 1 with a three-point lead and just two matches left to play.
"PSG lose the North" says L'Equipe's front cover on Monday which Sports Burst is probably misinterpreting to mean both PSG losing their way and also to a team to the north in the shape of Lille. PSG might also lose their place in next year's Champions League should the club not finish in the top two, with Monaco just two points below threatening that situation.
However, both teams will be busy this week with the semifinals of the Coupe de France. PSG have an absolute toughie away at Montpellier live on beIN CONNECT at 3PM ET on Wednesday, while Thursday sees Monaco at Rumilly Vallieres, a team from the fourth-tier of French soccer.