The Real Champs
Fansided

Three questions ahead of Real Madrid’s Spanish Super Cup second leg

By Alex McVey

BARCELONA, SPAIN - AUGUST 13: Players of Real Madrid CF celebrate after Marco Asensio scored their team's third goal during the Supercopa de Espana Supercopa Final 1st Leg match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou on August 13, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN - AUGUST 13: Players of Real Madrid CF celebrate after Marco Asensio scored their team's third goal during the Supercopa de Espana Supercopa Final 1st Leg match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou on August 13, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images) /
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BARCELONA, SPAIN – AUGUST 13: Lionel Messi of Barcelona celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Supercopa de Espana Supercopa Final 1st Leg match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou on August 13, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images,)
BARCELONA, SPAIN – AUGUST 13: Lionel Messi of Barcelona celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Supercopa de Espana Supercopa Final 1st Leg match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou on August 13, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Manuel Queimadelos Alonso/Getty Images,) /

Can Messi climb the mountain?

Barcelona go into the second leg of the Super Copa with a mountain to climb. Real Madrid managed to score three crucial away goals in the Camp Nou.

Say what you want about Barcelona’s recent form, any team that has Lionel Messi is a dangerous team. Real Madrid, as good as they are, are no exception to this rule. If Messi decides to put the team on his back and have a transcendent game, Madrid could still find themselves in trouble.

Rewind to last April. Real Madrid were in the lead for the La Liga title, and had the opportunity to put the competition largely to bed with a win or draw over Barcelona in the Santiago Bernabéu.

But it was not to be, mostly due to the heroics of one Lionel Messi. La Pulga put the Blaugrana on his back, and put in a performance to be remembered by the Barca faithful for decades. His last minute winner silenced the Bernabéu, and he held up his shirt to remind Madridistas who exactly they were dealing with. While Madrid ultimately went on to win the league, Messi’s heroics in Madrid’s hallowed grounds provided Barca fans with one good memory from their frustrating season.

Ronaldo turned up to the Camp Nou last week hellbent on outdoing his eternal rival, right down to the celebration. After Ronaldo scored his screamer to put Madrid up, he doffed his shirt, revealing his physique to the Camp Nou crowd, before holding his shirt up ala Messi in the Bernabéu.

This can’t have sit well with the diminutive Argentinian. With Ronaldo suspended, Messi has the opportunity to shut the fans up once again. If Messi is on his next-level game, and if Real Madrid are sloppy or complacent, Madrid could find their away goal cushion erased in a heartbeat.

Hopefully Casemiro, Varane, and Ramos can go a long way to neutralizing the threat posed by Messi et al. If they can keep Messi under control, Madrid have a great chance of taking home this trophy.

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