This archive report was first published on 8 June 2020.
Published on June 8, 2020, the La Liga title race has taken another unpredictable turn as Barcelona and Real Madrid prepare to play in unfamiliar homes.
Barcelona will trade the advantage of Europe's largest home crowd for the challenge of its most empty arena, where the absence of fans will, in numerical terms at least, feel starker than anywhere else.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, 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 Madrid's Toni Kroos earlier this month. "The team that adjusts best to this situation is the one that will win."
Toni Kroos, Real Madrid For Barcelona, it will not be the first time to play without fans, as they played against Las Palmas in October 2017, when the club closed its doors at Camp Nou in protest against the game going ahead amid political unrest. However, this time there are five home games to navigate, including Atletico Madrid, who would be more easily overcome with the help of a crowd. "I love that connection with the fans, it's what allows us to feel those moments of happiness, to live them," said Barca's Arturo Vidal. "But we will have to adapt." Arturo Vidal, Barcelona Both teams have been trying to acclimatise to their new surroundings, with Barcelona holding their first full training session at Camp Nou in almost seven years and Real Madrid overseeing regular meetings at their new ground. The pitch replicates exactly the 105 x 60-metre measurements of the Bernabeu while the club's groundsman, Paul Burgess, has been moved over to work on the surface. But innovations are needed, with the club having to improve the lighting for broadcasting, add advertising boards and install the technology for VAR. For Zinedine Zidane, the setting is familiar because he led Madrid's reserve side, Castilla, for 28 games there before taking charge of the first team. He even made his last appearance there in a Real Madrid shirt, to open the stadium in 2006. Yet six home games against Eibar, Valencia, Mallorca, Getafe, Alaves and Villarreal offer no guarantees and, unlike Barcelona's opponents, those teams will not even feel an historic anxiety. For them, the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium might feel more like a neutral venue. "Personally, I would prefer to play at the Bernabeu," said Ramos. Barcelona could suffer most if home advantage is less certain, as they have collected the most home points so far in the division and nine more than Real Madrid. But if they find away points are easier to collect, Barcelona have more room for improvement than Real. The unknowns make an erratic title race even more unpredictable.
