El Clasico: The Greatest Show on Earth

Ronaldo v Messi: the greatest players in the greatest teams

Matt Oldfield investigates why this week's Spanish derby is set to be one of the memorable matches this season:

"El Clasico has always been one of football’s most anticipated fixtures, but with La Primera Liga looking more and more like a two-horse race, this Monday’s game has taken on added significance. After 12 matches, Real Madrid sit just one point ahead of Barcelona at the top of the table, but a full eight points clear of the chasing. With both sides cruising through their Champions League groups and uninhibited by injuries, the scene is truly set for the clash of European football’s titans.

 

Mourinho’s side have dropped just 4 points so far this season, Guardiola’s a mere five. Real Madrid and Barcelona’s La Liga dominance is overwhelming; European league leaders Chelsea and Manchester United (28 points after 14 Premier League fixtures), AC Milan (29 points after 13 games) and Lille (24 points from 14 games) all trail far behind. Only Borussia Dortmund (34 points from 13 games) and Glasgow Rangers (37 from 14) come close to the points-to-games ratio of La Liga’s top two. Their supremacy only makes this Monday’s game all the more mouth-watering a spectacle. Mourinho and Guardiola’s sides are scoring for fun, and there is a real sense of the two teams competing with each other in their weekly routs. Last weekend, Barcelona’s 8-0 hammering of Almeria was followed by a 5-1 win for Real Madrid against Athletic Bilbao; Lionel Messi’s hat-trick was matched by his Pichichi rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Both teams have found the net on 33 occasions so far this season, a stunning average of 2.75 goals per game. As tense and cagey an affair as El Clasico will undoubtedly be, a 0-0 draw remains the unlikeliest of outcomes, with both sides likely to favour an attacking 4-3-3 formation. 

     

Much of the press before the game has boiled down to a one-on-one battle between arguably the two best players in the world. Cristiano Ronaldo leads La Liga with 14 goals, one clear of Lionel Messi. Both are in fantastic form and will be desperate to secure hero status with a match-winning performance. Ronaldo will be looking to make up for a poor showing in his first two El Clasico appearances and prove himself as a big-game player; Messi will be looking to add to his record of scoring four times in the last four league meetings between these teams. It is worth noting that Messi has never scored against a well disciplined Mourinho defence and that Ronaldo has not found the net once in all his meetings with Barcelona.

The support cast, however, should not be forgotten; Ronaldo and Messi will be relying on their highly capable strike partners, Gonzalo Higuain (7 goals, 3 assists) and David Villa (6 goals, 4 assists) respectively, to provide both chances and goals. Villa in particular will be under the spotlight in his El Clasico debut, having struggled to set La Liga alight so far this season. The phenomenal squad depth on show also means that benchmen such as the rejuvenated Karim Benzema and the in-form Bojan will be itching to leave their mark on this hallowed fixture. 

 However, as impressive as each team’s forwards are, the battle looks likely to be won in the middle of the park, where the wit and experience of Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta will go head-to-head with the youthful brilliance of Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira and Angel Di Maria. Barcelona will be hoping that Xavi is now back to his best, pulling the strings in the midfield, after struggling with injuries earlier in the season. For Madrid, much will depend on Xabi Alonso’s organisation and control over the attacking urges of his younger midfield colleagues. Mourinho made his concerns over his team’s inexperience very clear when he told AS, ‘You never know how the team will react.’ Will the ease with which Mourinho’s team have coasted through the season so far come back to haunt them in this all-or-nothing game? 

For Barcelona, much will depend on the defensive solidity of Puyol and co. In recent weeks, the Barcelona backline has been unsettled, with Frenchman Eric Abidal slotting in at centre-back in the absence of the suspended Gerard Pique, and Adriano and Andreu Fontas also filling in when required. Guardiola’s defence will need to be settled and on its toes if it is to successfully deal with Ronaldo et al. Madrid, on the other hand, seem to have overcome their defensive frailties; under Mourinho, they have only conceded six goals in the league, thanks in part to the arrival of the assured Ricardo Carvalho. 

In games of such footballing equality, it is often unexpected heroes who rise to the occasion. With this in mind, keep your eyes on Pedro Rodriguez Ledesma, Barcelona’s young, relatively unsung forward, who managed 14 goals in his debut season last year. While he has scored only twice in La Primera Liga so far this season, he tops the playmaking charts with six assists, his versatility and ability to use either foot making him a particularly dangerous opponent. He has also developed something of a reputation as a big-game player due to goals against Inter Milan and, yes you guessed it, Real Madrid.

Home advantage and four straight El Clasico victories make Barcelona favourites for this fixture, despite Madrid’s one-point lead. However, with ‘The Chosen One’ now at the healm and Ronaldo playing perhaps the best football of his career, rule Los Blancos out at your peril. This game has all the makings of a true modern classic."