'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAGAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFAABAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABP/aAAgBAQAAAAAif//EABQBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT/2gAIAQIQAAAAJ//EABQBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAX/2gAIAQMQAAAAQ//EACMQAAIBAgQHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIDAQASBAUGQRETFiFikdL/2gAIAQEAAT8AXpJIDl68MCDTjg5RE665ZjuNu10eq6WyUu8g/jPlP1X/xAAXEQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIS/9oACAECAQE/ALp5ln//xAAYEQACAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARJx8P/aAAgBAwEBPwCK1I//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It is finally here. The most anticipated football game of the 2017/18 season is less than a week away as Santigo Bernabeu plays host to the most important fixture of Real Madrid's season.
Probably for the first time in over ten years, the two teams go into the first La Liga El Clasico of a season with such a massive points difference.
With 42 points from 16 games, the Blaugrana are unbeaten in La Liga this season. On the other hand, Los Blancos are fourth on the table with 31 points and clearly the second favourites on Saturday.
On that note, let's take a look at the 5 reasons why Barcelona will destroy Real Madrid in the upcoming El Clasico:
#5 El Clasico coming too soon for an unsettled Real Madrid side
Real Madrid seems to be having a mediocre season so far. Too many injuries and suspensions have crippled their 2017/18 campaign. Cristiano Ronaldo was suspended for 5 games early in the season and then came a flurry of injuries.
Gareth Bale's calf injury means he has only made 5 appearances in La Liga so far this season. Marcelo, Dani Carvajal, Casemiro, Karim Benzema, and Mateo Kovacic have also missed a lot of games due to injuries.
Though Zinedine Zidane knows his best personnel for the back line, he is unsure of his midfield and attack. He has to bench one of Bale, Isco, Benzema or Luka Modric on Saturday.
He is not certain of his best eleven and is yet to get an opportunity to work with his full squad. Their recent performances in Abu Dhabi is a clear indication that Real Madrid is not clicking as a unit.
They struggled to break opponents and missed a lot of straightforward chances. All in all, Real Madrid seems a very unsettled unit at the moment
Form Guide (last 6 La Liga games in 2017/18):
Real Madrid - L W D W D W
Barcelona - W W D D W W
#4 Luis Suarez is back to his belligerent best
Luis Suarez started off slowly this season but has gathered pace as the season progressed. He has looked sharp in recent weeks and seems to have rediscovered his goal-scoring touch.
The 30-year-old has scored 8 goals in Clasicos so far, with 2 coming in La Liga. He is one of the key players in Ernesto Valverde's squad and his return to form is a welcome boost for the team.
He has scored in his last 3 La Liga appearances, including a brace against Deportivo de La Coruna, less than 24 hours ago. Suarez's return to form is one additional problem for Zinedine Zidane to handle on Saturday.
On his best day, the Uruguayan star can single-handedly decide the tie. Not good news if you are a fan of the Galacticos.
Luis Suarez 2017/18 La Liga stats:
Games played - 13
First 8 games - 3 goals
Last 5 games - 6 goals
#3 Squandering Real Madrid forwards
One of the biggest problems for Real Madrid this season has been their inability to convert chances. They have created a total of 223 chances in La Liga (second most for any team in Europe's top 5 leagues) but have scored only 30 of them.
The Galacticos failed to sign a world-class striker after the sale of Alvaro Morata and James Rodriguez, leaving Karim Benzema as the only recognized target man in the team.
Both Benzema and Ronaldo are having a nightmare 2017/18 La Liga campaign. With 4 goals from 73 shots, Ronaldo has one of the worst conversion rates in Europe this season.
Benzema, too, has been very inconsistent this season. He missed some clear-cut chances and has scored only 2 goals from 11 La Liga appearances so far.
Real Madrid's conversion rate compared to Barcelona and Valencia in La Liga 2017/18:
Real Madrid - 13.45% (30 goals scored from 223 opportunities)
Barcelona - 24.27% (42 goals scored from 173 opportunities)
Valencia - 25% (36 goals scored from 144 opportunities)
#2 Messi and Co. are ruthless under Ernesto Valverde
There is no denying the fact that Lionel Messi is the best player in El Clasico history. With 16 goals, he has scored the most in La Liga El Clasicos, 8 more than Cristiano Ronaldo. He has scored 8 times at the Santiago Bernabeu, including a hat-trick in the 13/14 Clasico.
He has been in superb form this season as well, with 14 goals and 5 assists from 16 La Liga games.
Barcelona are certainly evolving under the new manager Ernesto Valverde, and are yet to be defeated so far this season. Players like Jordi Alba, Marc-André ter Stegen, and Andres Iniesta seem to have reinvented their form again under the new manager.
The addition of Paulinho has offered a new dimension to Barcelona's game and he has already silenced his critics. Valverde's Barcelona looks like a well-oiled machine and Los Blancos may find it hard to stop the ruthless Catalan side.
Barcelona 2017/18 La Liga Stats:
Goals scored per game - 2.62
Goals conceded per game - 0.44
Clean sheets - 10
#1 Pressure of potentially losing the title as early as December
Eleven points represent a huge difference in the title race, even for a team like Real Madrid. Though it has been wiped out several times in the past, it hasn't been done for over 20 years in La Liga.
Zinedine Zidane goes into the Saturday fixture, knowing they cannot afford to lose any more points. A defeat at the Santigo Bernabeu will further expand Barcelona's lead to a seemingly insurmountable 14 points.
With only 22 games remaining in the 2017/18 La Liga season, a 14-point difference could well dissolve Real Madrid's title hopes even before the Christmas break. The pressure of the must-win El Clasico could ultimately prove too hot for the defending Champions to handle.
