Real Madrid vs Barcelona: 4 factors to keep in mind

Real Madrid would take on arch-rivals Barcelona in an important La Liga match at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Saturday. Barcelona beat Real 3-0 in the second leg of the Copa Del Rey semifinal on Wednesday to continue their dominance over the Los Blancos in their own backyard.

Barcelona have now won 10 of their last 17 matches against Real at the Bernabeu. However, if Real manage to get the better of the Blaugrana tomorrow, they could still have an outside chance of winning the LaLiga. Madrid now have 48 points from 24 matches, while Barca have 57 from 25.

It is not going to be easy for Real to beat Barca, as the latter hold the psychological edge over them. Real have conceded 9 goals in 3 matches against their arch-rivals in the ongoing season, and will have to put up a much better display if they are to reverse the trend.

Let's take a look at the 4 crucial tactical factors which might prove to be crucial in determining the fate of tomorrow’s match.

#1 Ramos-Varane vs Messi-Suarez

Real’s experienced centre-back pairing of Sergio Ramos and Rafael Varane would have their task cut out against the deadly combination of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. The attacking duo of Barcelona have scored 52 goals between themselves in the current season, and look good for many more.

Therefore, it is not going to be easy for Real’s centre-backs to stop Messi and Suarez from scoring again tomorrow. Suarez has scored 5 goals in 3 matches against Real this season, and Bernabeu has become a happy hunting ground for him. On the other hand, Messi is almost certain to win the European Golden Shoe again this year, and can be unstoppable on his day.

However, Real cannot afford to lose hope, so will have to try desperately to stop the Barca forwards. Messi has a tendency to take shots at the goal from the edge of the penalty box, and can not be allowed any shooting space in that area. Real’s defensive midfielder Casemiro has to drop down and block as many shots as possible if Real are to stop the attacking threat posed by Messi.

Moreover, Ramos needs to play as the left-centre back and combine with left-back Marcelo in order to stop Messi’s runs through the inside-right channel. Ramos would have to tackle Messi quickly and should not allow him enough time on the ball in the final third.

Varane, on the other hand, should always stay back, and have an eye on the darting runs of Suarez. Suarez has a tendency to beat the defensive line with his bursting runs, and score goals very rapidly. Varane would have to be prepared to go for a late challenge against the wily Uruguayan forward.

#2 Modric and Kroos finding the flanks

The Barcelona defence almost always looks vulnerable against quick counter-attacks. Sevilla scored two goals against them in the first half with their fast moves. Therefore, the Real midfielders would do well to play long balls to the flanks, and thereby utilize the pace of their young wingers Vinicius junior and Lucas Vazquez.

Both the Barca full-backs have a tendency to go into overlaps, and Real would do well to exploit the space left behind by them. Moreover, Barca’s central defender Gerard Pique has become somewhat slower with age and will struggle to cope with Real’s fast wingers.

Neither Luka Modric nor Toni Kroos can afford to shun their defensive responsibilities tomorrow and will have to spend a considerable amount of time inside their own half. Therefore, they would have to deliver those long balls from their own half to the flanks, which could catch the Barca defence off-guard.

The Barca midfielders would not allow their Real counterparts to have much ball-possession and therefore, the latter would have to act quickly whenever they have the ball.

#3 Finding Karim Benzema

Real cannot afford to play the fast, running game all the time, and would have to outmanoeuvre the Barca defenders at times. Their wingers would have to cut into the Barca penalty box at times and also play some vital passes to Karim Benzema, the centre forward.

Benzema has scored 20 goals in 41 matches this season, and also impressed with his link-up play. However, he would have to exceed himself if he has to win the match for Real tomorrow. The Barca defence does not enjoy it when the opposition forwards exchange passes in the final third and make quick inroads into their penalty box.

Therefore, Benzema would have to emulate Suarez at times and make those darting runs into the Barca penalty box to test Ter Stegen. Gareth Bale, who would probably be used as a substitute, could also cause some problems to Barcelona’s defence with his electric pace and shooting prowess.

#4 Choosing between Dembele and Coutinho

Philippe Coutinho has started for Barca in their last few matches, but Ousmane Dembele might get a start tomorrow. Barca have almost always looked a better attacking side with Dembele in the playing eleven, and therefore, he might get a look-in ahead of Coutinho tomorrow.

Dembele can prove to be a handful for any defence in the world with his great touch and incisive runs, and played a crucial role in Barca’s turnaround in the second half against Sevilla. He has scored 13 goals in 32 matches for the Catalans and might look forward to troubling the Real Madrid defence tomorrow.

However, Barca are unlikely to start with both of them in the playing eleven, as it would mean leaving Arturo Vidal out of it. Therefore, one of them should start, and the other could come in as a substitute. On the basis of current form, maybe Dembele should get the nod ahead of Coutinho tomorrow.