El Clasico Preview: Barcelona And Real Madrid clash for La Liga supremacy

It’s finally here! Spanish football’s heavyweights clash in the form of the El Clasico where Real Madrid look to keep their top spot intact against the in-form FC Barcelona.

Both sides had some troubles threaten to derail their seasons, but have since recovered strongly to assert themselves as the clear favourites in the title race – you can click here to bet on this early six-pointer between the two Spanish giants.

Real Madrid haven’t had the best records at Camp Nou, but Zinedine Zidane knows how to silence the Blaugrana.

Los Blancos already kept city-rivals Atletico Madrid quiet in the Madrid derby and with Eden Hazard finding his groove along with Luka Modric and James Rodriguez, the Frenchman will be optimistic heading into the battle.

Toni Kroos was the latest to pile on Madrid’s injury list, with his involvement looking dicey. Nonetheless Zidane will take whatever options he has and take the fight to Barcelona to consolidate the La Liga dominance.

Ernesto Valverde is also a man always under pressure after facing the fans’ wrath earlier this season with a slow start. Barcelona have recovered well with their world-class front-three doing wonders along with their young midfielders.

Lionel Messi will attempt to be Madrid’s nightmare once again when the sides meet, as he’ll look to inspire Barca towards producing another tour de force and tramping over their bitter rivals.

Barcelona Predicted XI

Ter Stegen, Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba, Busquets, Arthur, De Jong, Messi, Suarez, Griezmann.

Real Madrid Predicted XI

Courtois, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Casemiro, James, Modric, Bale, Benzema, Hazard.

Key Clashes

Lionel Messi vs Sergio Ramos

One battle which never ceases to entertain in the El Clasico is the Messi-Ramos one. They both can’t stand each other’s styles on the field with the Spaniard trying to dominate the Argentine in the form of ruthless, aggressive tackles.

As Messi will aim to humiliate Ramos and co by dribbling past with ease, staying strong and scoring majestic strikes, the Madrid captain would want to keep him grounded. Liquidating Messi’s threat would have a bad effect on Barcelona’s attack, as it’d be quintessential for the

Barca star to keep finding space to move into and not be aggravated by his oppositions’ threats. This captain v captain battle should produce some fireworks!

Eden Hazard vs Nelson Semedo

Nelson Semedo is a pretty stable defender, but he faces his biggest task yet this season against the in-form Eden Hazard at the El Clasico.

The Belgian’s back to his majestic best after adapting to life at Madrid, with his heroics against Granada proving he still has that fire left in him. Hazard’s tricky movement, unpredictable burst and scoring ability will be a huge challenge for the frisky Barcelona defence.

Semedo will be given responsibility to sticking with him, making strong tackles and keeping him as quiet as possible. It could end up being a hellacious task for him, as Hazard will be hungrier than ever to make a big impact in his first Clasico.