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#3 Barcelona will be better rested
While Real Madrid have been cruising in Europe, Barcelona crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in the Round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain. Real Madrid have boosted their chances of making it to the semi-finals after registering a 3-1 win over Liverpool in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in midweek.
Liverpool have been really good in Europe this season and it took a great performance from Real Madrid to beat them comprehensively on Tuesday. Their players had to toil while Barcelona players had plenty of time to recover after their last match against Real Valladolid last Monday.
As we have so often seen, teams that are better rested tend to dominate their opponents as the game drags on and we won't be surprised if the Real Madrid players look fatigued on Saturday.
#2 Real Madrid's defensive problems
Real Madrid go into El Clasico without their main centre-back partnership. Both Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane are sidelined. Ramos and Varane are two of Real Madrid's leaders on the pitch and in their absence, Eder Militao and Nacho could start at centre-back.
With Dani Carvajal also a doubt for the game, Ferland Mendy will be the only first-choice defender in the Blancos' backline on Saturday. Lucas Vazquez is expected to start at right-back.
Barcelona's attackers, namely Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembele and Griezmann, could have a field day against an unsettled Real Madrid defense.
#1 An in-form Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi has not had much luck in El Clasicos in recent times. But he has embraced the big occasions of late and Saturday should not be much different. Given the form he is in, Real Madrid will be wishing they had their best defenders on duty.
In his last 10 matches across all competitions, Messi has scored 10 goals and provided five assists. His return to form has been critical to Barcelona becoming title contenders from a hopeless place in late December.
Ousmane Dembele has also stepped up to the occasion in recent times. He has scored in Barcelona's last two matches and also scored for France against Kazakhstan during the international break.
Antoine Griezmann has also looked good in recent weeks and with an in-form Lionel Messi working alongside them, Barcelona will be a handful to deal with for an unsettled Real Madrid backline.
