La Liga
El Clasico: Barcelona vs Real Madrid Preview
El Clasico, the biggest match in club football kicks off Sunday at 11:15 am EDT. Barcelona and Real Madrid face each other without Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time since 2007.
Notably, Los Blancos travel to their Catalan rivals in dire need of a win to save Julen Lopetegui’s job and avoid falling too far behind in the title race.
As the only side to have won in the Camp Nou since Ernesto Valverde took over as coach, there will be no shortage of motivation for what is a season-defining match for the whites.
Although the current Spanish champions are without five-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi due to an arm fracture. Sunday’s hosts comfortably saw off Inter in the Champions League mid week without their star player.
Coupled with the team’s 4-2 victory over Sevilla the week before where the Argentinian’s injury occurred; it seems La Blaugrana are playing positively at the moment.
Nevertheless, current form rarely counts in a match of this nature and much of the talk will be about which lineup Valverde chooses to use.
Team News
Whereas the absence of Barcelona’s top scorer will be the most talked about, it is the injuries of defenders Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen that may worry supporters more.
Clément Lenglet will continue to partner captain Gerard Pique in the center of defense. Likewise, midfielder Rafinha should fill in for Messi after doing so mid week and scoring a goal.
Forward Ousmane Dembele is expected to feature at some point in the match as well.
Visitors Real Madrid continue to be without defender Dani Carvajal. Otherwise, coach Lopetegui has a full squad to choose from.
Lineups and Prediction
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Alba, Lenglet, Pique, Semedo; Busquets, Arthur, Rakitic; Coutinho, Suarez, Rafinha
Real Madrid: Courtois; Marcelo, Varane, Ramos, Nacho; Casemiro, Kroos, Ceballos; Isco; Benzema, Bale
On paper, one might conclude Madrid need a miracle to achieve an away victory at the Camp Nou. The visitors have recently been short on goals and are now without their Clasico top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo.
Furthermore a string of bad results and the growing possibility of a coaching change before Christmas adds pressure to a match that needs none.
However, such is a the nature of the Clasico that circumstances can seem meaningless over the 90 minutes and veteran defender Pique will ensure that his squad takes nothing for granted.
Although currently playing superior football to their rivals, the home side face the challenge of an unfamiliar opponent. Lopetegui’s team may be the first in years to attempt matching the Catalan’s possession.
A slow start to the match seems likely with the second half being very different from the first. Luka Modric and Marco Asensio may come off the bench making an impact. However, not enough for an away victory.
Very few Madrid coaches win their first match against the club’s eternal rivals. Unfortunately, this one comes at a bad time for Lopetegui. Expect a Karim Benzema goal as Barcelona take an important step in their title defense.
Barcelona 3 – 2 Real Madrid
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Photo credit to Real Madrid via Flickr
