This one fixture is marked on every football fans calendar. The fierce rivalry between the Real Madrid and Barcelona has always had special place in the hearts of the football fans. This fixture always provides special football, intense competition, cut-throat drama and controversies. It is a spectacle that has everything that makes a football match exciting. And in the modern age, the Clasico has become the home to the world’s best footballers i.e., Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, with both sides establishing themselves as the two strongest teams in the game of football. It has always been the most awaited fixture in world football. This time, Real look to wrap up the title in the Classico !
League leaders Real Madrid host Barcelona on Sunday which see the two sides separated by three points in the league table. Zinedine Zidane’s side booked their place in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals after an impressive second-leg victory over Bayern Munich earlier this week, meanwhile Barcelona was outdone by the Italian leaders Juventus on Wednesday after being held scoreless over the two legs.
Real Madrid will be high on confidence coming into the eagerly anticipated El Clasico as Zinedine Zidane’s men have not lost in their last 12 games in all competitions and have won 10 games in the Spanish league which has seen them open a three-point lead over their arch rivals Barcelona. Meanwhile the Catalan giants have gone through a difficult period recently, losing two of their last four games across in all competitions, including a 2-0 defeat away at Malaga in La Liga.
Victory for Los Blancos will give them a 6-point cushion over their rivals with a game in in hand. And at this stage in the season that would surely be sufficient enough to end Real Madrid’s 6 year long wait for a league title. Barcelona really have to win this game to stand a realistic chance of winning La Liga and they would return to the top of the league table based on the goal difference.
The last time this two sides met in the reverse fixture in December at Camp Nou they drew 1-1. Luis Suarez opened the scoring for Barcelona, before Sergio Ramos scored an equaliser right on the stroke of 90 minutes.
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Real Madrid will be once again be depending on their star Player Cristiano Ronaldo who is in superb goal scoring form after a hat-trick against Bayern Munich made him the first player to score 100 goals in the history of the Champions league. The Portugal international has found the back of the net 31 times in all competitions this season, in addition to 12 assist.
Real Madrid are in line to win league double this season as they are on their track to win the Champions League and the Spanish Title this season. It will be a remarkable feat for the Los Blancos to achieve as they have not achieved this feat since 1957/1958 campaign. As for the Blaugrana, it’s a do or die contest. A potential Copa del Rey win would be viewed as nothing more than a conciliatory win. They were expected to win the Champions League this season but after their midweek elimination in the Champions League, Luis Enrique’s men are under huge pressure to perform well in the Spanish League.
