El Clasico will be played at the Bernabeu on Sunday, and with Barcelona only two points ahead of Real Madrid, this will be a pivotal match in the title race. There are only 13 games left in the season, with such narrow margins at the top, this is looking to be the most exciting La Liga title race in years.
El Clasico Pivotal to La Liga Title Race
Key Insights
Neither team has been at their strongest this season, with Barca struggling to the right tactics and manger whereas Madrid are still recovering from Cristiano Ronaldo‘s exit and have started to rebuild their squad. Both teams have suffered through many injuries.
Real Madrid Failing to Find the Net
Madrid has struggled to find the net often so far this season, heavily relying on Karim Benzema to carry the entire load. But Benzema is not superhuman and the flaws in the side were easy to see in last weekend’s loss to Levante, where Real failed to score.
At the start of the season, Benzema was on fire, scoring the goals, almost single-handedly. But as of late he has slowed down and hit a drought, only scoring twice in 12 games. Sadly for Madrid, none of the other forwards have taken up the role and Madrid have suffered as consequence. The summer signings up top haven’t lived up to the hype either, with Luka Jovic only scoring twice so far in his entire Real Madrid career. Eden Hazard has done even worse, only scoring once. Even Madrid players that are normally reliable have not stepped up this season. Gareth Bale only has 2 league goals and Vinicius Junior has one.
Los Blancos Injury Stricken Ahead of El Clasico
Injuries have also hindered the performance of the Madrid side, and they picked up yet another in their last game against Levante. Hazard, in just his second game back from a three-month absence, came away with another injury that will likely keep him sidelined for the rest of this season.
Injuries Strike Barca’s Backline Ahead of El Clasico
Real Madrid aren’t the only side suffering from injuries though, Barca will also have to enter this match with their fair share of sidelined stars. First choice fullbacks Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto are both injured. Gerard Pique‘s condition is also questionable.
This leaves Barca horribly exposed at the back, which might just be what Real Madrid needs to actually find the net.
A Plethora of Options for Barca Further Up
On the other hand, up top Barcelona are looking dangerous. Lionel Messi is fully fit and already has 18 goals this season. Furthermore, he always performs during El Clasico and will probably be the key to Barca’s match.
Setien is overloaded with options to play further up including Antione Greizemann, Arturo Vidal, Ansu Fati, Martin Braithwaite, Ivan Rakitic, Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets.
The real interesting player here is Martin Braithwaite, who debuted just last weekend against Alaves, where he provided two assists. He still has a lot to prove after his controversial signing, but he put in a solid performance and should be considered.
Tactical Questions
The first meeting between the two sides this season resulted in a cagey goalless draw, the first one between the two sides since 2002. This weekends match is high stakes, with only two points separating the top of the league, so a similar outcome might be expected for this outing.
A major dilemma in this game for Madrid will be trying to find a way to score. Benzema is the obvious option to put up top, but Zinedine Zidane is faced with a hard task when trying to compliment him.
Hazard is out to injury and Rodrygo is suspended, so the only available options are Bale, Vinicius, and Lucas Vazquez. Of course, none of these players in the attack have been impressive so far throughout the season, so Zidane might have to overload his midfield instead.
This El Clasico just might be the deciding match for this year’s exciting La Liga title race, but both managers have a tough task ahead of them if they want to come away with points.
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