GETTY Barcelona will prioritise the Champions League for the rest of the season believes Terry Gibson
That’s the opinion of Sky Sports pundit Terry Gibson. Barcelona are unbeaten in La Liga after 29 matches and look set to reclaim their league crown after Real Madrid won the league for the first time in five years last season. But while they have somewhat faltered domestically in the current decade, Real Madrid have resumed European dominance recently. Real have won three of the last four available Champions League titles, including the prestigious La Decima, and became the first team since the competition was rebranded to retain the trophy last year. They could yet become the first team since Ajax between 1971 and 1973 to win the tournament for three successive campaigns. But Zinedine Zidane’s side have a difficult tie against Juventus - who they beat 4-1 in last season's final in Cardiff - to contend with in the quarter-finals, while Barca are favourites for their clash with AS Roma.
GETTY Lionel Messi and Barcelona won't want to be shown up by Real Madrid this season
GETTY Real Madrid are looking to win the Champions League for the third straight season
Barca are on course to win the league and the Copa del Rey, but if Real Madrid win the Champions League the celebrations at the end of the season will all be about Real winning three in a row. Terry Gibson
And Gibson believes Barca will prioritise their continental fixtures to avoid being usurped by their arch rivals come June. Speaking on Sky Sports’ La Liga weekly podcast, he said: “Whether Barcelona can remain invincible is a really interesting question. "Barca are at a stage of the season, given their position and points advantage, where they should remain unbeaten. "If they were not in the Champions League there would be an even better chance. “They of course have a quarter-final against Roma, so I would [still] be surprised if they went through the season unbeaten. "It is critical Valverde rotates and is a little bit more sensible to ensure the team remain fresh for the Copa del Rey final and the Champions League fixtures. "That may interfere with their chances of going undefeated for the rest of the season. It may not as they have a big, healthy, quality squad but it may have an impact.