LaLiga trophy sent to Valdebebas ahead of Real Madrid's clash against Villarreal: Report

A victory against Villarreal will seal the LaLiga title for Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid. Keeping a close tab on the situation, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) has decided to send the LaLiga trophy to Valdebebas, the Real Madrid training facility, to hand it over to the team if Sergio Ramos’ side defeats Villarreal at the Alfredo di Stefano.

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LaLiga title sent to Valdebebas, Rubiales not to attend the game

According to Spanish outlet AS, RFEF president Luis Rubiales will not be present on Thursday to hand over the LaLiga trophy to Real Madrid in case Los Blancos overcome the Villarreal challenge at home. This suggests that Rubiales will have to delegate the task either to Andreu Camps, the general secretary or Gomez Reino, the director for institutional relations. In the past, Rubiales introduced changes in the coronation as well.

Earlier, the RFEF would hand over the trophy to the winning team on the first matchday of the following season. However, Rubiales abandoned this practice and introduced the concept that is in practice in the Premier League and the Bundesliga, i.e. to hand over the trophy on the day a team wins the title. 

Real Madrid are on a nine-game winning streak in LaLiga. Los Blancos have conceded just thrice during the most crucial phase of LaLiga. Interestingly, before the coronavirus lockdown, Zidane's side were trailing defending champions Barcelona by two points and have successfully overturned the situation to bag a four-point lead over the El Clasico rivals. 

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Real Madrid's request to club fans 

On Tuesday, Real Madrid released an official statement addressed to the fans. The statement urged the fans not to assemble at the Plaza de Cibeles in the event of Sergio Ramos' side clinching the title. According to the age-old tradition, fans assemble to receive the players' bus parade and to celebrate the LaLiga title at the Cibeles, one of the most iconic localities in the city of Madrid. The statement from Real Madrid also clarified that the players will not be visiting Cibeles this time around, keeping in view the coronavirus crisis. 

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LaLiga standings update amid Real Madrid vs Villarreal clash

Real Madrid lead the LaLiga standings with 83 points in 36 games. Zidane's men will square off against Villarreal on Thursday (Friday according to IST) at Alfredo di Stefano). On the other hand, Barcelona will host Osasuna at Camp Nou around the same time, hoping for a defeat for their rivals. 

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Image courtesy: realmadrid.com