Real Madrid have lost all three of their meetings against Barcelona this season, including two trophies in the Spanish Supercup and Copa del Rey just two weeks ago.
This Sunday, the last major trophy of the 2024/25 season will be on the line between Real Madrid and Barcelona at the Olympic Stadium in Catalunya, because if Real Madrid can't get a win, they can kiss their shot at LaLiga goodbye.
Barcelona are coming into this game a little wounded and with a point to prove, too, making them even more dangerous than usual. They just got knocked out by Inter Milan in the Champions League semifinals in heartbreaking fashion despite playing very well; Inter were simply better in one of the greatest knockout ties ever played.
There is no doubt that Real Madrid will be wary of Lamine Yamal and Pedri, who both made even bigger names for themselves on the global stage with their heroics against Inter across the two ties.
Pedri's ability to dictate play, find teammates, and control the pitch on and off the ball have long been a nuisance to Real Madrid and other LaLiga sides, as much as a segment of extreme Madridistas try to downplay the quality of the Spanish international.
Coping with Pedri will undoubtedly be the focal point of Dani Ceballos, Fede Valverde, and the other Real Madrid midfielders on Sunday, but as they worry about the controller in the Barcelona midfield, they can't lose sight of another player who can provide that something special to burn Real Madrid in an instant.
Dani Olmo is a big-game player
Dani Olmo was panned by many Real Madrid fans as another waste of money by Barcelona - an expensive, overrated player at a position Barcelona didn't need. But the 55 million euro attacking midfielder has been an asset to Barcelona, and even though his signing has caused expected financial strife, the club will argue that it is worth it if it brings the title back to the Catalan giants in 2025.
Statistically, Olmo, when healthy, has been excellent this season. Quietly, he's supplied nine goals in the campaign in just 1,032 minutes, providing a bigger goal threat, for the sake of comparison, to the Real Madrid forward duo of Rodrygo Goes and Vinicius Junior.
Olmo is capable of conjuring moments of magic with shots from outside the box, scoring goals from out of nowhere. He's like having a second poacher behind Robert Lewandowski.
Players like Olmo are so valuable in these big games, because they can change the game from nothing. As a defense, Real Madrid can't give Olmo even a half a yard of space, because that's all he needs to rifle a shot into the top corner.
Olmo is one of those players who seems to elevate his game in the biggest moments, too, as evidenced by his superior career record in European matches, going back to his RB Leipzig and Dinamo Zagreb days, as well as his heroics at the last European Championships for Spain.
Real Madrid are weak defensively off the ball. They give up way too much space for shots and often forget about runs off the ball with their marking, especially extra men from the midfield.
Olmo has the creativity, goal-scoring ability, tactical intelligence, and fleet feet in short areas to be the exact kind of player to make Real Madrid pay on Sunday. He has been quiet in the last three Clasicos, but that's all the more reason to worry about him being the sleeping giant in the Barca attacking midfield this weekend.