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This Sunday, Real Madrid play FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou in a LaLiga fixture. For the first time in almost a decade, neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo are going to play in El Clasico. For this reason, this Clasico is believed to be the least hyped one as compared to those of the previous years. But for Lopetegui and team, this is going to be one of the most important games of the season.
Julen Lopetegui's journey as Los Blancos coach has not been quite a fairy tale yet, even though the squad started the season with a bright and positive outlook after the departure of the previous coach Zinedine Zidane and talisman Ronaldo.
The club has been suffering for more than a month now. They're again and again failing to score enough goals. And if that wasn't enough, the club is being cursed with repetitive injuries.
After losing 2-1 to Levante, and an unconvincing victory against Viktoria Plzen, Real Madrid are looking the weakest they've ever been in recent times. Although the coach doesn't seem to have lost the dressing room, a loss against a Messi less Barcelona will certainly pave the exit route for the boss.
Real Madrid will possibly fall down to 12th position on the LaLiga table. Florentino Perez will then have no option other than sacking the ex Spanish national team coach. It's up to Lopetegui and his men to prove the world wrong, and beat the current LaLiga leaders even if the odds are against them.
Nothing less than a match full of drama and excitement can be expected from this fixture. The players have built a good chemistry with the coach, as many players had already played under the coach with the Spanish national team and youth team.
The players are going to play with everything they've got, not only to save their boss' job, but also to humiliate their fierce rivals. Even though FC Barcelona are the favorites to win, they should acknowledge the fact that Lopetegui and team aren't going to give up without putting up a fight.
