FC Barcelona has one hand on the La Liga Trophy
FC Barcelona has opened up an eight point lead at the top of the league with a hard fought 1-0 victory at El Madrigal. On a night in which Jose Mourinho's unbeaten home record ended with a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Sporting Gijon, Pique's goal was enough to secure three points for us. With such a lead the title hunt has effectively come to an end for Real Madrid. Mathematically they still have a chance but practically its an impossible task for Jose Mourinho. Guardiola brought in some changes to the defense - Busquets and Pique formed the cetre defensive pair with Alves and Adriano lining up as full backs. The midfield had Mascherano, Thiago and Keita. Affellay, Iniesta and Villa formed the midfield. Messi started on the bench and Valdes wore the captain's armband. What would have been a very crucial game was made much easier by the fact that Real Madrid lost their unbeaten home record to Sporting Gijon early on the night.
