Percy Onyeka
Barcelona will host arch-rival Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the season on Saturday evening. It will, no doubt, be an exhilarating encounter given the situations that surround the clash before it comes into play.
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Real Madrid sits in second place, three points behind leader Girona, who earned a late victory on Friday night. Followed closely by Barcelona, which trails in third with 24 points. It’s rather unfortunate because Barcelona has not lost a single game in the league, but they sit third because they have lost two points on three different occasions, while Real Madrid have only lost once and drawn once.
Both teams have had their ups and downs this season. While Real Madrid have shown that they have all it takes to grab all three points on a normal matchday, Barcelona have always struggled in front of goals.
Unlike Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, Valverde, or Joselu (just maybe), Barcelona does not have a proven last-minute clutch. Instead, the team has relied on the likes of a handful of Barca Athletic. Also, their defensive record this season is abysmal compared to how they fared last season.
Xavi Hernandez’s men will be heading into this clash with a very thin squad, as about five first-team players are out on injury but received a boost with Lewandowski, Kounde, and Raphina back in the squad.
However, Sergi Roberto is completely ruled out of the game.
Carlo Ancelloti has a few cases of injury to deal with. At this point, Real Madrid’s injury predicament is more apparent, as Dani Ceballos is once again sidelined due to a muscular condition, while Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao are unquestionably out with long-term knee injuries.
After knee surgery, Arda Guler experienced a thigh issue that required recovery; nonetheless, the Turkey international is not expected to be selected for this game.
Barcelona will be staring at a huge opportunity to leapfrog their fiercest rival at this moment so as to have Girona to contend with. It will be difficult to face a Real Madrid team that can score goals out of nowhere.
Carlo Ancelloti and his men know what hype they stand to achieve if they put an end to Barcelona’s unbeaten run. They have suffered quite a lot from Barcelona in the past season and will come into this with revenge on their mind.
Techrectory with AFP.
