When Real Madrid and Barcelona face each other, they put up the best football show in the world. In terms of big names, not another face-off could boast so many stars.
Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez, Karim Benzema, Andres Iniesta, James Rodriguez and many more. This is the clash of titans; the football Gods of our time going head on against each other in a quest to be named as the best. The world will be partitioned in two halves when the two giants go head to head.
The clash of the La Liga titans will see Luis Enrique vs Zinedine Zidane for the first time. The two former opponents on the field will be in the opposite dugouts for the first time in this fixture.
Without further ado, let's see the 6 key battles to look out for in the match:
Ronaldo vs Messi
Despite the presence of MSN (Messi, Suarez, Neymar) and BBC (Benzema, Bale, Cristiano), the biggest battle would be between the two best players in the world currently. The duo have won the last 8 Ballon d'Or awards, a testament to the quality of the players.
We have often seen Cristiano Ronaldo scoring when the pressure is on the team to completely switch the momentum and get Real Madrid on the front foot. Similarly, Messi has lifted his team's morale time and again with his performances – be it with a spectacular run and finish or setting his team mates up.
Each of the teams look up to their stars to provide the inspiration and it will be no different on Saturday when the best football show will be on display yet again.
Casemiro vs Busquets
The difference between the Merengues and the Blaugranas is a world class holding midfielder. Barcelona boast the best holder in the game in the form of Sergio Busquets, while Real Madrid have a talented, but inexperienced Casemiro.
The Brazilian was an absolute favourite of Rafael Benitez, but hasn’t featured much under Zinedine Zidane…until now. The Frenchman has understood the important of Casemiro's presence in midfield—the game against Atletico was the eye-opener—and has embedded him in the starting XI. Since then, with Casemiro, Madrid haven’t dropped a single point.
The Rojiblancos might have won only by a goal last month, but they completely bossed the midfield—thanks to their incredibly balanced midfield.
Barcelona might have MSN take most of the plaudits, but keen fans will know that their most important player, in a purely tactical sense, is Sergio Busquets. The Spaniard can see things a moment before anyone else and hence is always a step ahead.
This helps him win the possession quicker and spread it around smoothly and diligently. It is no coincidence that both Spain and Barcelona have won so many trophies ever since he became a starting member for them. On Saturday, whoever wins this battle will control the game and go on to win it.
Karim Benzema vs Barca’s backline
There is a general consensus among Barca fans that Karim Benzema makes them more worried than Cristiano Ronaldo. On the front, this might seem like an absurd statement. After all, being worried more about a guy who has less than half the number of goals Cristiano Ronaldo has scored in the same time doesn’t make much sense.
However, a deeper look would make you agree. In the Real Madrid team, the attacker who has the intelligence to play quick one-touch football is the Frenchman. He might not be the best finisher in the world, but as a playmaking forward, there is none better.
Going a year back, Luka Modric played a cunning forward pass to Benzema. It seemed harmless as the France #10 was being tightly marked and couldn’t score from that angle. Benzema himself knew that and, hence, played a backheel flick to Cristiano Ronaldo, who was rushing behind him, with his very first touch itself.
The Portuguese did what he does best and slammed it home to give Madrid a goal. It is this on-field and swift use of wisdom that causes the most trouble to any team. And it is for this reason he plays the integral role in Madrid’s attack as he is the key to link both Cristiano and Bale to the goal.
Goalkeeper resilience
Sometimes, the outfield players play the game of their life, yet can’t make a show for it on the scorecard, thanks to a stubborn and resilient goalkeeper. In the 4-0 drubbing, Real Madrid actually had some chances to score, but Claudio Bravo was alert and didn’t give them any hope of a comeback.
Keylor Navas, on the other hand, had a poor game. He could have stopped at least two out of the four goals and it was the first time his weakness was exposed. Up until that game, Navas was in the form of his life and narrowly missed out (by 4 minutes) on the record of playing the most minutes without conceding.
On Saturday, these two will have a huge burden over them. In terms of individual ability, the Costa Rican is the better goalkeeper and if he has a good game, as he quite often does for Les Merengues, Barca will find it really hard to score.
Alba/Alves vs Marcelo/Carvajal
The four full backs that will be featuring in this clash are all world class players. The overlapping full backs is what makes the El Clasico such an attacking spectacle. Marcelo is without a doubt the best attacking left-back in the world. He might have his shortcomings in defense, but in terms of romping past the opponents, there is none better. Then there is Carvajal. Defensively decent and attackingly incredible, he makes up for lack of positional awareness with his thundering pace and ability to make a tackle.
For the Blaugranas, Jordi Alba is among the quickest players in the world and his pace has always unsettled Madrid. Similarly, Dani Alves might not be the best when it comes to defending, but he would go down as one of the top 3 attacking right-backs to have ever played the game.
In these clashes, you will rarely see the full-backs in their half and that is why their importance is so much. In Barca’s system, the focus is always playing towards the center. In a tactic such as this, it is Alves and Alba that provide the width and give the midfielders an option.
Madrid are more flank oriented and that is what makes the contributions of Marcelo and Carvajal so important. The duo can hurt Barca as the Catalans possess extremely attacking full backs, and their counterparts from the Spanish capital can catch them out of position with their quick counter attacks.
It should be an interesting battle to watch out for.
MSN vs Madrid’s defence
There isn’t much that’s needed to be said about this. The trio of Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar is the best attacking trio in the world right now, and possibly in the history of the sport. Any defensive unit must be on their toes while facing them.
When Gareth Bale was signed by Real Madrid to complete the BBC trio, Barca responded by signing Suarez a year later. After a slow start, the trio started clicking and now they find themselves as the most efficient unit in the world. Madrid’s defense were ripped to shreds in the last encounter despite Messi only fit enough for the bench!
What makes MSN special is their selflessness. Each individual is ready to sacrifice his own goalscoring chances for a team-mate in a better position. This is what makes them so unpredictable—and a nightmare for the opponents. The Real Madrid defence is sure to have a busy night as the Barca triumvirate will be looking to complete the double over their rivals and extend their lead at the top.
Where will you be when the clock strikes 11.55 on Saturday? Wherever you are, you will not miss a single moment of the clash of the La Liga giants thanks to Sony LIV, the home of football. You can also download the Sony LIV app to watch the match live and relive the highlights of this sporting extravaganza.
