It’s that time of the season where the big matches are coming around thick and fast and there is arguably no bigger fixture than that of Real Madrid vs Barcelona, otherwise known as El Clasico to the legion of football fans around the world that will be tuning in for this one.
The stakes are always high when these two sides meet but they do not get much bigger than the scenario that we find ourselves looking at later this evening. La Liga leaders Real Madrid are currently three points clear of their arch rivals but they also have a game in hand.
A win in front of their own fans at The Bernabeu would put them in an almost unassailable position. They would be six points clear with a game in hand, which in effect would turn into seven points due to the fact that head to head records are used as a tiebreaker before goal difference in Spain.
Should that be the case Barcelona would only 5 games left to catch Real and considering Zinedine Zidane’s men have only lost twice in the league this season, it would be a very tall order for Luis Enrique’s men to deliver a third straight La Liga title.
It’s a big week for Enrique as he has already witnessed his side being knocked out of the Champions League by Juventus. The Turin side offered a defensive masterclass on Wednesday as they played out a 0-0 stalemate and showed PSG how to defend a first leg lead.
With one trophy already evading them this week, there is every possibility that a second could be out of their grasp leaving the departing Barcelona boss with only a Copa Del Rey final to bow out with before his time in The Nou Camp hotseat comes to an end.
Real Madrid had differing fortunes in their Champions League tie against Bayern Munich. At one point it was lookly neatly poised for extra time but the officials had a night to forget. First Arturo Vidal was incorrectly sent off and then Ronaldo’s second of the night was incorrectly allowed to stand.
Los Blancos did have a massive slice or is that slices of fortune on Tuesday night and now look forward to the 4th successive season in which they will face their cross town rivals Atletico in the knockout phase of the Champions League. As it stands Real have come off better in each of the three previous occasions.
The win did come at a price as Gareth Bale is a doubt for tonight’s titanic clash but if his to miss out then they have the perfect understudy. Perhaps understudy is now the wrong word as Isco is forcing his way into the first team with more and more regularity.
He was the saviour last week as he scored a last minute winner in the five goal thriller with Sporting Gijon, That goal was symbolic of the depth in squad that Real Madrid have and it is arguably that which has propelled them to the top of the table.
When you compare their squad depth to Barcelona’s they certainly have the advantage and in most cases can swap out a player with no real detriment to the starting eleven. The same cannot be said for Barcelona and when they have rotated they have been punished domestically.
The likes of Andre Gomes and Paco Alcacer have not quite stepped up to the mark when required and when Barcelona do not have their strongest side available they do tend to feel it more than perhaps that of Real Madrid would.
They will also have to do without Neymar, after he misses out through “suspension” – it’s an incredibly complicated situation so I will let the people at Goal.com pick up the slack and explain the situation in full – Why Neymar Is Not Playing
And that is something that will tip the balance into Real’s favour and I have a feeling that home advantage coupled with Neymar’s absence means that Los Blancos will get the necessary win and all but wrap up a first La Liga title since 2012. Home win for me.