El Clasico Preview: Barcelona - Real Madrid

Barca Back In The Groove

Whether you come from Addis Ababa or Zaragoza, you know just how much this one means. This is the big one. Two historic clubs, blood rivals - in the literal sense of the word - lock horns in a 90-minute battle that has roots that run as deep as the ideological rift of the Spanish Civil War.

While Real Madrid have been sailing smoothly, but not spectacularly, in the few weeks leading up to this clash, Barcelona have had to contend with a topsy-turvy run-in due to the injuries to their two big guns, Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahiimovic, as well as claims from their critics that they are struggling to replicate last season’s dominance.

The have, however, only dropped points at Osasuna, Valencia and Athletic Bilbao in what has otherwise been a perfect defence of their Primera Liga crown. And while Madrid are narrow leaders in this year’s title race, Barca are still the team to beat with a perfect home record in the league after five games at the Camp Nou.

The difference between Madrid and Barcelona became evident on Tuesday night against Inter: the champions’ undeniable ability to produce not just wins but impressive performances without their star player and joint-leading scorers, Messi and Ibrahimovic was there for all to witness and admire.

They demolished the best team in Italy midweek without the deadly duo and if you compare that to how Madrid fared against a lacklustre Milan last month, Barca’s quality appears to be on a different level entirely.

It’s not that they necessarily have a better squad than Los Merengues but the players that come in when the big names are absent possess the same fierce hunger, collective spirit and ultimately the same flawless understanding of the Barca philosophy that softens the blow of such notable absences and allows them to play the same game. Perhaps they don’t have the delectable cherry on top but the cake and the icing still taste as good as it looks.

Madrid may lead La Liga with Cristiano Ronaldo back in action but Barcelona have shown that even without their stars the can still produce the results with far greater flair than Madrid’s recent hat-trick of successive 1-0 wins.

Manuel Labour For Madrid

For the Neo-Galacticos, El Clasico is the long-awaited examination. Unable to compete with an insuperable Barcelona last season in the title race or over the two La Liga encounters, Los Blancos stole the summer headlines from Barca’s triplete-winning season as newly elected club president Florentino Perez spent a whopping €254 million in signing consecutive Ballon d’Or winners Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, along with a host of other world class stars in Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso, Raul Albiol, Alvaro Arbeloa, Esteban Granero and new coach Manuel Pellegrini.

Florentino Perez’s new superstar-ship troopers have, at times, shown their promised potential, exhibiting the kind of football that has made the Bernabeu gasp with glee. However, these moments of magic have been short-lived and infrequent and for the better part of 90-minute spells, Madrid have languished in the enigmatic realm of mediocrity.

At times, Los Blancos have even been dreadfully poor, as evidenced by their humiliatingly historic elimination from the Copa del Rey by Segunda B side Alcorcon and their dip in form has curiously corresponded with an ankle injury to Cristiano Ronaldo that kept the Portuguese winger out of action for over a month.

Now, as Madrid prepare to face their first big test of the season in the well-oiled machine that is Barcelona, they do so with many questions yet unanswered: Cristiano Ronaldo has recovered from injury, but can he recover the red-hot form he enjoyed before being sidelined?

After a grey outing in their midweek Champions League match against FC Zurich, can Madrid put together the attractive football that allows them to compete with Barcelona or will they be thoroughly dominated by the Blaugrana as they were last season (and as Barca toyed with Inter in their midweek match)?

Can Madrid make the Liga pendulum swing away from Catalunya and effectively shift the balance of power back to the Spanish capital?

In the press conference after the match against Zurich, Manuel Pellegrini admitted that he and the coaching staff are worried about Madrid’s play and their lack of a brand of football. Will three days of training be enough for Pellegrini to correct the glaring weaknesses in his team’s play?

Having claimed the lead in La Liga, can Madrid open up a four-point gulf against their eternal enemies by handing Barcelona their first Liga defeat of the season?

On Sunday, these and many more questions will be answered, but the exciting quality of El Clasico is that they could be answered within the first minute of play or in the final seconds of stoppage time. One would be wise to prepare the antacid and the defibrillator for this one; drama knows no stage like El Clasico.

FORM GUIDE

Barcelona

Nov 24 Barcelona 2-0 Inter (UEFA Champions League)

Nov 21 Athletic Bilbao 1-1 Barcelona (La Liga)

Nov 10 Barcelona 5-0 Cultural Leonesa (Copa del Rey)

Nov 7 Barcelona 4-2 Mallorca (La Liga)

Nov 4 Rubin Kazan 0-0 Barcelona (UEFA Champions League)

Real Madrid

Nov 25 Real Madrid 1-0 FC Zurich (Champions League)

Nov 21 Real Madrid 1-0 Racing Santander (La Liga)

Nov 10 Real Madrid 1-0 Alcorcon (Copa del Rey)

Nov 7 Atletico de Madrid 2-3 Real Madrid (La Liga)

Nov 3 AC Milan 1-1 Real Madrid (Champions League)

TEAM NEWS

Barcelona

The big news is that Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have shaken off their respective muscular problems and began normal work-out with the rest of the squad, but there’s still no word from the Joan Gamper training ground whether they are fit to start the game, although coach, Guardiola has become well-known for keeping his first XI cards close to his chest.

Dani Alves gave his team-mates a scare when he missed out on Thursday’s session after sustaining an ankle knock against Inter in midweek but he has resumed normal training in Friday’s morning schedule. Yaya Toure is also back having shrugged off his H1N1 viral infection, but he is unlikely to start with Xavi, Busquets and Keita set to pull the strings from midfield again after a dominant midweek Champions League display.

Probable Starting XI (4-3-3): Valdes – Dani Alves, Puyol (c), Pique, Abidal – Xavi, Keita, Busquets – Messi, Ibrahimovic, Iniesta

Real Madrid

Cristiano Ronaldo had his first minutes back on the pitch on Wednesday against FC Zurich and while there has been no reports of recurring problems with respect to his ankle injury, it is believed that he still feels discomfort and is still well short of match fitness. It is also suspected that Pellegrini will relegate both Gonzalo Higuain and Raul to the bench, opting instead for Benzema and Ronaldo up front with Kaka in a slightly withdrawn attacking role behind the strikers.

In defence, Alvaro Arbeloa will likely be used at left-back and be charged with the nightmarish task of marking Messi - assuming the Argentine wizard is fit to play. Sergio Ramos makes his return at right-back after serving out his red card suspension last week against Racing. Raul Albiol, however, is a doubt after suffering a minor knee injury in midweek Champions League aciton and the stage seems set for Ezequiel Garay to pair with Pepe to complete the back line.

Probable Starting XI (4-3-1-2): Casillas (c) – Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Garay, Arbeloa – Lass, Xabi Alonso, Marcelo – Kaka – Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Barcelona

In this game all eyes will be on the Lionel Messi v Cristiano Ronaldo firecracker, but the man that makes it all happen for Leo and his Barcelona team-mates is influential playmaker Xavi. The midfield mastermind showed the world that the Blaugrana did not miss ‘El Mesias’, or Ibrahimovic, at all in midweek against Inter as he single-handedly tore the Italians apart and his performance will be crucial if the champions are to secure a victory. Messi may not be fully fit come kick-off and in the past, it has become evident that he turns into a mere shadow of himself when he’s suffering from fatigue and lack of sharpness, but take your eyes off him for a second and he will punish you.

Real Madrid

With two consecutive Ballon d’Or winners in the squad, it will be difficult to recommend anyone else on which to fixate one’s attention. Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka showcase some of the best football on offer and it will be extraordinarily entertaining to watch how these two exceptional players are able to squeeze through the closing spaces of Barca’s quickly-tightening defensive noose. Watch for both players to try to touch the ball past the last man in defence in an effort to outrace the defender and create a one-on-one opportunity against Victor Valdes. CR9 has boasted that he will score in this match as well so expect him to try his luck from long range and from set pieces.