When it comes to football rivalries, there is nothing that beats the El Clasico. Real Madrid and Barcelona remain fierce traditional rivals in matters of football and otherwise. With the first El Clasico of the season set to be played on Saturday, here is a close analysis of the two teams and the superstars who will battle it out for pride and glory.
This El Clasico comes at a time when both Real Madrid and Barcelona are in a good run of form. While Barcelona remain unbeaten and lead the Spanish La Liga, Real Madrid trail only by 4 points Ai??after having recovered well from their early hiccups. Luis Enrique led Barcelona has not conceded a single goal in the league so far this season but the Catalans will be aware that their defence will be severely tested against ai???Commander Ronaldoai??i?? and co who are making it a habit to score often and with aplomb.
8 games into the league, Barcelona have had a great start under new manager Enrique and have won 7 games, dropping only 2 points against Malaga. Messi and Neymar have developed a lethal partnership that has ensured a steady flow of goals for the Catalans. Real Madrid on the other hand remain as defensively vulnerable as ever. However led by an in-form Cristiano Ronaldo, the Galacticos are scoring at an extremely impressive rate and will be looking to bring down the Catalan wall at the Santiago Bernabeu.
REAL MADRID
Real Madrid are currently enjoying the best of Cristiano Ronaldo who finds himself at the peak of his goal-scoring prowess. The Portuguese captain leads the goal-scoring charts all across Europe after scoring 15 goals in 7 (8 including the tie against Real Sociedad which he missed) games. He also scored three goals in the Champions League and two in the Super Cup and shows no sign of stopping any time soon.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti himself admitted that Real Madrid are dependent on the Portuguese goal-machine to win games and if Real are to win against Barcelona on Sunday, they will be banking on Ronaldo to find the back of the net. With Bale doubtful for the El Clasico clash against Barcelona, the Portuguese international will be under more pressure and will have to carry the team on his able shoulders. And the Commander showed that he is quite capable going by his performance at Anfield. The absence of Gareth Bale doesnai??i??t bode well for Real Madrid. The Welshman is intrinsic to Real and fans will remember that brilliant run against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey finals last season where he outran Bartra before scoring a late winner to grab the trophy. Ai??In his 7 league games for Real Madrid, Bale has scored 4 times and has set up 3 assists for Madrid. His partnership with Modric, Benzema and Ronaldo is what makes Real Madrid a well-oiled goal machine.
The absence of Bale will put pressure on new signing James Rodriguez who realises that he is under the scanner, with comparisons against Di Maria flying thick around the Bernabeu. Rodriguez was initially seen as like for like replacementAi?? for the Argentine but in his 8 league appearances, has failed to make an immediate impact. Having scored twice and provided as many assists, the Colombian international will be aware that the El Clasico will probably be the best stage to mark his arrival in the La Liga.
Though Carlo Ancelotti will take pride in the fact that Real Madrid are currently the most lethal team in Europe in terms of going forward, a shaky defence and a shaky goal-keeper continue to plague Santiago Bernabeu. Real Sociedad left Madrid exposed after scoring 4 goals from being 2-0 down and even teams like Basel, Deportivo, Elche and Ludogorets have managed to breach Real’s defence. If Real Madrid are to contain the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, they will have to plug the loopholes at the back and hope for a defensively astute performance from the back four, plus Iker Casillas.
BARCELONA
While Luis Enrique has enthused Barcelona with aAi?? new spirit, his most commendable addition to the team is the fact that he has made the Barcelona defence into a leak-proof unit. So leak-proof that Barcelona are yet to concede a single goal in the Spanish La Liga. That means the Catalans, who were earlier used to a series of gaffes due to Pique and Valdes, are now the only team in Europe to have gone without conceding a single goal in the domestic league.
While Real are being led by the unstoppable Ronaldo, Barcelona find their saviour in a resurgent Lionel Messi who is back to his inspiring best after a dismal season. Completely fit, the Argentine has played all 90 minutes in the 8 La Liga encounters and has scored 7 times while providing a total of 9 assists. His much-anticipated partnership with Neymar is finally reaping the right rewards and the duo are central to Luis Enriqueai??i??s Barcelona.
Neymar on the other hand is slowly finding his feet at Barcelona after a turbulent debut season which was followed by a horrifying World Cup in his native country. The Brazilian is Barcelonaai??i??s leading goal-scorer with 8 goals and has provided one assist in his 7 appearances. He is developing a lethal understanding Ai??with his Argentine counterpart and the duo have scored a total of 15 goals between them.
El Clasico also marks the end of Luis Suarezai??i??s ban and hence one can expect fireworks if Luis Enrique does give the Uruguayan a chanceAi?? to announce his arrival in a Barcelona jersey. Suarez will be expected to make an immediate impact and his partnership with Messi and Neymar can only be challenged by the Real Madrid trio of Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema. This El Clasico remains well poised as the worldai??i??s best players take the stage at Santiago Bernabeu. Expect fireworks ladies and gentleman as Ronaldo, Benzema, Rodriguez, Modric, Kroos and Casillas take on Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Iniesta and Rakitic.
Images courtesy Ai??players’Ai??officialAi??Facebook account
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