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Barcelona v. Real Madrid Preview: Will Ronaldo and Real strike a decisive blow at the Camp Nou?

On Saturday evening, Barcelona and Real Madrid will face off for the 11th time in the last two seasons, and the anticipation level as high as ever, even with the defeats that both sides suffered this week in the Champions League. Both will be expected to take care of business at home next week and set up the long-expected Champions League final Clasico in Munich, but all eyes, especially theirs, are now on Saturday’s showdown at the Camp Nou.

There are many angles from which to look at this match, whether one chooses to focus on the numerous individual and collective ‘matchups’ headlined by the latest duel between Lionel Messi, 63-goal scorer and present holder of the title of ‘best player in the world’ (according to most, that is), and Cristiano Ronaldo, 53-goal scorer and #1 contender for the mythical throne, its status as a showdown between the two best club sides in the world, or Barcelona’s dominance of Real/Real’s inability to beat Barcelona.

Barcelona v Real Madrid – recent history

The last one of those is the most important, as it correlates with the outcome of the La Liga title race the last few seasons and how the title race will pan out this season. Real are most in need of the win, not least because they haven’t done much winning against their archrivals recently. They did score a 1-0 extra-time win in last season’s Copa del Rey final in Valencia, but they haven’t won over 90 minutes since a 4-1 league win in May 2008, three days after they’d secured the most recent of their 31 league titles.

And their last victory in enemy territory? A 1-0 win that previous December in their other league meeting that season. Considering that’s the only time Real have done the league double over Barca since the 1983/84 season, Jose Mourinho may need to give Bernd Schuster a call before Saturday evening. But then again, Schuster’s side did it just before Pep Guardiola over and Barca began their assault on the world of club football and the history and record books, so…

There can be some encouragement, perhaps, from parts of their performances this season, which has seen them fall to 5-4 on aggregate in the Spanish Super Cup, 4-3 in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey, and 3-1 in their league fixture at the Bernabeu in December. That makes for painful reading for Real supporters, no doubt, but not nearly as painful as the 5-0 league defeat at the Camp Nou last season.

Real have scored first in the three matches at the Bernabeu this season, and they staged late comebacks in the two away matches. Those two comebacks were both for naught, as they surrendered a late winner in a 3-2 defeat in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup and weren’t able to produce a late winner after overturning a 2-0 halftime deficit in the second leg of their Copa del Rey quarterfinal tie, but including the 1-1 draw in the second leg of last season’s Champions League semis, you could say there’s been some progress in their performances at the Camp Nou since the aforementioned rout.

Will Madrid be happy with denying Barcelona a win?

So they’ve had some starts, and they’ve had some finishes, but can they put it all together and produce a win that would put them in an almost unassailable position? Well, a lot depends on whether or not they set out to win. Real come in with a four-point advantage with five matches remaining, and while a win would all but put an end to the title race, they would still be in the driver’s seat even with a draw.

And while playing for a draw might seem to make the most sense and is the approach that most will expect Mourinho to employ, setting up shop for a draw would be a dangerous endeavor against a side that can easily put paid to those plans in a flash, whether it’s by way of a quick couple of goals just when their opponents start feeling comfortable or a late winner after being held for 60, 70, 80 minutes.

After being lambasted far and wide for the negative approach that was displayed in last season‘s Champions League semis, Mourinho’s attempted to be positive, for the most part, in this season’s matchups, and as mentioned, it’s produced some rewards. Along with the three early leads at the Bernabeu, Real have netted eight goals in the five meetings, as opposed to finding the net only three times in last season’s five meetings.

And the last meeting, the 2-2 Copa del Rey draw in January, was Real’s best performance against Barca in some time, and were it not for a lapse late in the first half, during which Barcelona struck twice in three minutes, they may have gotten a much better result than they did.

If the five meetings this season are any indication, there will be goals on Saturday. There were 13 in last season’s encounters, but there’ve already 19 goals in this season’s meetings. With that, plus the fact that Barcelona will be gunning for the win, in mind, it’d serve Real better to set out with a positive approach once again. If it again produces an early lead, then it‘ll be all about absorbing the inevitable pressure defensively, keeping their composure with their play and with their attitudes, and taking advantage when opportunities arise to attack, especially on the counter. And if they happen to fall behind? No need to press, be impatient, or lose their composure, because they have seen already this season that they can come back against Barca.

If Real play positive but smart football, they’ll have reason to exit with their heads high, even if they’re defeated. There’d be no shame in losing to a great side in their backyard, if they’ve put forth their very best effort. But if they can put forth their best and be rewarded with something tangible, they should be partaking in some title celebrations in a few weeks’ time. And if they come away with the three points, not only will it all but ensure the title, it’ll silence a lot of doubters, and if the expected does happen, enhance their confidence for the Champions League final.

And if the home team holds serve? In doing the expected, they’d trim the deficit at the top to only a point, a far cry from the 10-point deficit that they faced last month. Real would still control their destiny, but given that they’d have failed to make the most of a double-digit advantage, many would feel that it’d only be inevitable for Barca to overtake them in the final stretch.

Bracelona v Madrid – Injuries and Selection News

While both suffered setbacks abroad, there are no serious injury concerns to speak of for either. All of the big guns will be in the mix, though there are some decisions to make. Pedro hasn’t displayed the same stellar form this season as he did last season, but he has scored twice in his last four appearances – and would have had three in four, if his late effort at Stamford Bridge had found the back of the net instead of the post – and has four goals against Real over the last two seasons, so he could be handed a place in the starting XI.

Also, Karim Benzema’s success this season against Barcelona could see him start ahead of Gonzalo Higuain, as he has scored in both ties at the Camp Nou and three times overall.

And last but certainly not least, will it be Marcelo or Fabio Coentrao at left back? It will likely be the Brazilian, who has started 28 of Real’s 33 La Liga matches, and he might have been set for the start even if Coentrao had fared better than he did against Bayern. However, keeping in mind his sending off against Barca earlier this season and the silly foul he made in his brief appearance in Munich on Tuesday, he’ll have a short leash if he picks up an early yellow, and so will several others on both sides, as there’s too much at stake to risk a needless red.

Whatever the selections, the hope is that we’re in for 90 enthralling minutes. Perhaps this is more plea than preview, because for the neutrals, it’d be far more pleasing to see an entertaining match. When there’s a plethora of attacking talent on the pitch, including the two who are the best in the world by a wide margin, it’s only reasonable to expect to be entertained. And given the moments of controversy and outright farce and foolishness that recent Clasicos have been good for, it’s also reasonable to hope for a clean match.

As such, Alberto Undiano Mallenco, who’s been given the unfortunate assignment honor of refereeing this weekend’s clash, needs to do his job, and do it well, to the point where he‘s either praised or not mentioned at all.

Topics: Barcelona, La Liga, Match Reports, Real Madrid