It’s time for the biggest match in club football as Real Madrid travels to Catalunya to lock horns with eternal rivals FC Barcelona, a fixture better known as ‘El Clasico’. This weekend is the first of the two Clasicos scheduled to happen in LaLiga also the first in the post-Messi era. Fans cannot wait to see how their sides perform against each other given both squads have changed considerably from last season.
As such, Real Madrid is riding on a fresh 0-5 victory against Shakhtar at Kyiv in the Champions League, whereas Barcelona has found their way back to victories with a 3-1 win over Valencia in LaLiga and a narrow 1-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League. However, Real Madrid is looking much the stronger side in comparison to the seventh-placed Catalans after eight Matchdays in the league. Here are three reasons why Los Blancos should have better of the Blaugrana this weekend.
3. Real Madrid’s first-choice midfield is back at the perfect time
First and most importantly, Real Madrid’s holy trinity in the middle of the park is back. And, they would be expected to start in El Clasico. Carlo Ancelotti isn’t a big fan of frequent rotations and why change a winning side? At least for the next game, I think starting Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Carlos Casemiro would be the best bet for Real Madrid.
With the three playing the way they did in the last game, Real Madrid would control play and dictate the game’s momentum. Toni Kroos had a vintage outing against Shakhtar placing accurate long balls to shift play and Modric had a magical assist to set up Vinicius for his first goal. For Casemiro, it was a long-awaited return to form as the Brazilian kept contributing consistently with his ball wins in midfield. A return to Real Madrid’s tried and tested 4-3-3 made all the difference and they’d now eye the weekend to make it four Clasico wins in a row.
Barcelona on the other hand will miss their wunderkind, Pedri, who is a massive powerhouse in midfield. Sergio Busquets aside, there hasn’t been a second consistent performer for Barcelona in the midfield. The likes of Frenkie de Jong and Gavi haven’t been at their best. Even in the last game against Dynamo Kyiv, they walked out with a match rating of 6.7 and 6.3 respectively, per SofaScore, with no real impact on the game. Barcelona couldn’t manufacture clear scoring opportunities and looked out of gas creatively in the final third.
As such, Real Madrid is emerging the clear winners in the midfield and as it is, the team that wins the battle in the middle of the park does most of the saying in the match. And, with a very in-form attack in front of the midfield three, Real Madrid looks much the more threatening side.
2. Barcelona’s defense is no match for Real Madrid’s attack
Barcelona has been struggling defensively and the same is expected to continue in the game against Real Madrid on the weekend. They have choked in big matches this season having conceded six goals in the Champions League so far. They also lost 2-0 to Atletico Madrid in the league and that was when Barcelona’s best center-back this season, Ronald Araujo was playing.
It was earlier reported that Araujo sustained a hamstring injury that makes him unavailable for selection. This gives a definitive advantage to Los Blancos given the form their attacking trident has been in. Araujo’s injury also means Barcelona cannot start their regular shape of three center backs forming the backline.
Real Madrid would be in a great position to use Barcelona’s vulnerability to their advantage. It is clear that their central defense struggles the most against well-worked linkups, something that has been a highlight of Real Madrid’s attacking play so far. The games against Atletico Madrid or Benfica should serve as great examples of the argument I am making here.
With such an inexperienced defense and Gerard Pique finding it hard to voice his leadership over the young lads, Barcelona would be up for a hard time against Real Madrid’s front three. They are susceptible to committing mistakes and acting out of frustration that has already cost FC Barcelona this season in form of two red cards. Real Madrid should glide through with plenty of chances to score against this Barca defense.
3. FC Barcelona will struggle to contain Vinicius Junior
Real Madrid’s best winger, Vinicius Junior, once again had a night to remember in Kyiv when he put two past Shakhtar and created one for his partner in crime Rodrygo Goes. Vinicius has been one of the best players in LaLiga and one of the best youngsters in world football this season and it is only natural that most teams have struggled to contain him.
Barcelona comes at yet another handy disadvantage, given how poorly their right-backs have been performing be it Oscar Mingueza or Sergi Roberto. MARCA’s starting lineup predicts Sergino Dest to start at the right-back position which again is great news for Real Madrid and Vinicius Junior. He can exercise his pace against Dest very well and as already stated, linkups inside the box are what leave Barcelona without answers.
Vini can do all of that and more very well. And, even if he went through a stint of matches without scoring, he created problems in all of them. He won penalties, linked up brilliantly well with Benzema, and looked to create something out of nothing. His decision-making in the final third has improved by great degrees, he has been a consistent game-changer for Real Madrid so far.
He would once again be Don Carlo’s trump card in a very important game of the season. Clasicos are much more than just league games with three points at the stake, they are about pride and history associated with the socio-political stories that the fixture is woven around. A big statement in this game can mean a lot in terms of a youngster’s career. Vini has that extra bit to manufacture something brilliant which is why he deserves to be a separate reason why Real Madrid will win at the Camp Nou this weekend.