SCANDAL: LaLiga confirms the date and time of the Leganés-Barça match for matchday 31

The dates and times for matchday 31 of LaLiga EA Sports 2024-25 have been confirmed. This Thursday, the league announced the schedule for the matchday that will take place from Friday, April 11 to Monday, April 14, right in the middle of the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the Europa League. FC Barcelona will face Leganés on Saturday, April 12 at 21:00 CEST in Butarque.

The matchday schedule clearly reflects Real Madrid's demands regarding the schedule for Matchday 28, where Carlo Ancelotti's team was forced to play with less than 72 hours of rest in Villarreal following the Champions League Round of 16 second leg against Atlético. However, ahead of Matchday 31, Barça has paid the price for Real Madrid's demands. While Madrid will have four days of rest between the quarterfinal first leg against Arsenal and the visit to Alavés, the Catalans will have less rest compared to the tie against Dortmund.

Barça will only have 72 hours of rest before facing Leganés

For Hansi Flick's team, the match against Leganés will come in the midst of the quarter-final tie of the UEFA Champions League against Borussia Dortmund. The tie starts on Wednesday, April 9 in Montjuïc and concludes on Tuesday, April 15 in Germany, meaning the match on matchday 31 of LaLiga will be played with only 72 hours of rest between both European matches.

The azulgrana team already faced Dortmund in the league phase, in a match that ended with a narrow victory at Signal Iduna Park (2-3). Although Niko Kovac's team is not in their best form in the Bundesliga, they remain a formidable opponent, with extensive experience in the Champions knockout stage. After all, the 'black and yellows' are the current runners-up of the tournament.

Leganés, a tough opponent for Barça

In the first round, the team managed by Borja Jiménez surprised Barça in Montjuïc (0-1), in the match corresponding to matchday 17 played on December 15. A solitary goal from Sergio González in the 4th minute was enough for the 'pepinero' team to take all three points against a Barça team that felt the strain of the calendar in the last month of 2024.

Since then, Lega has only accumulated 2 victories and 3 draws in the last 11 matchdays, which has seen them drop into the relegation zone (18th place). Barça, on the other hand, recovered from consecutive defeats against the team from Butarque and Atlético Madrid (1-2) with an impressive streak of 7 consecutive victories this year, where the culés have only dropped 2 points from the last 15 at stake (the team has a pending match against Osasuna).

This is how the rest of matchday 31 of LaLiga will unfold

The teams chasing Barça in the fight for the league lead will play on Sunday and Monday, respectively. Real Madrid will visit Alavés on Sunday, April 13 (18:15 in Vitoria), meaning they will arrive at the rematch against Arsenal, for the Champions League, with one day less of rest, as the 'gunners' play at home against Brentford on Saturday and the quarter-final tie concludes on Wednesday, April 16 at the Bernabéu.

Atlético de Madrid, on the other hand, will host Valladolid on Monday, April 14 (21:00 at the Metropolitano). The 'colchoneros', already eliminated from the Champions League, will have no further obstacles in the calendar until the end of the season, except for the return leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals against Barça (Wednesday, April 2), a tie that is level after the draw in Montjuïc (1-1).