After expecting the Madrid derby to go Real Madrid’s way, I shall be approaching the El Clasico with caution when it comes to predicting what could happen. Although unlike my prediction for the greatest rivalry in club football, many will be hoping that both Real Madrid and Barcelona throw caution to the wind.
The difference between this El Clasico fixture and others is the inclusion of Atletico Madrid in the title race and how results with Madrid’s “other club” could affect Real or Barca’s bid to become champions of La Liga.
As it stands Real Madrid are three points ahead of their city rivals Atletico and four ahead of Barcelona. If Real Madrid win then that would establish a seven point lead over Barcelona which would be very difficult for the Catalonian club to overturn. If Barcelona win then they would cut that gap to a point and assuming if Atletico win then Real Madrid would no longer be top of the table, thanks to head-to-head records.
Without a doubt it would make for a more fascinating title race if Barcelona were to defeat Real Madrid but it might be a challenge too insurmountable considering the form that Real Madrid are in. Los Blancos form has been devastatingly good as they have gone a remarkable 31 games unbeaten in all competitions. Yet the last time they suffered defeat was back in October 26 where they lost to guess who? Oh yeah, Barcelona.
Since then both clubs have seen a turn in fortunes. Real Madrid were criticised after suffering a relatively slow start. Gareth Bale was far from his showy performances for Tottenham Hotspur while the club was seen as overly reliant upon Cristiano Ronaldo. Yet the team has built some incredible momentum, including major and convincing victories over Atletico in the Copa Del Rey and the demolition of Schalke in the Champions League.
More importantly Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema have formed an attacking three which has been dominant in La Liga; the three of them have combined to score 50 of 77 Real Madrid’s goals in La Liga. Ronaldo, has proven himself to be the best player of the year and his two goals against Schalke in midweek means that he has equalled Ferenc Puskas’ goal tally and has become one of the biggest icons to put on the white shirt.
And let’s not forget the defence of Los Blancos too. A combination of Varane, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo and Carvajal have meant that Real Madrid have kept seven clean sheets in their last ten games.
Barcelona, have suffered a dip in comparison to their biggest rivals. Four points behind the top spot in La Liga, Copa Del Rey finalists and in the last eight for the Champions League does not sound like a complete failure for Barca.
Unlike Gareth Bale, Neymar has not been one of the best performers for his club. The controversy over his signing signalled some rumblings in the club’s board room. Meanwhile Lionel Messi’s appearances for the club has been hindered by injury and World Cup preparations as he has only scored 18 goals this season, which is underwhelming considering the huge tallies he has racked up in seasons past.
Gerardo Martino is a manager under pressure too. Many pundits have criticised the manager for playing a more direct style of football, unfitting with the quick passing game that Barcelona employed under Pep Guardiola. The performances have been less than convincing for the Catalonian giants especially away from home in recent times; they lost their last two away games 3-1 and 1-0 to Real Sociedad and Real Valladolid respectively. It probably does not help that the club has some ageing players as Puyol and Xavi can hardly contribute to the club now.
Yet with all the negativity that currently surrounds Barcelona, the forward trio of Messi, Alexis Sanchez and Pedro have scored 49 of Barcelona’s 81 league goals. Although it would not be surprising that if either Sanchez or Pedro will start to accommodate for Neymar— a man has that needs to start living up to his hype. If Martino decides to keep Neymar on the bench then he would be making a wise decision as Neymar has yet to get double digits in the league, something which the forward trio have all done.
Barcelona really needs to be the aggressor in this match and dominate possession because Real Madrid’s defence will be as aggressive as the clash against Atletico. The aim for Real Madrid is to disrupt the passing game of Barcelona and hope they will lose their structure. Yet if Barcelona decide to play with that forward trio of Messi, Alexis and Pedro (AND they really should) then Real Madrid will face a stern test and they won’t keep a clean sheet.
It is usually impossible to split the two sides but one fears that Barcelona’s defence will be unable to handle the likes of Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Modric and Di Maria. They have the better team, the younger team and the more aggressive team and therefore I expect them to be the winning team this Sunday night. I expected, like many, that the title race in Spain would be a two-horse race. However, nobody will expect it to be between the two Madrid sides.
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