The key will almost defiantly be in the midfield battle on Sunday. We all know the forwards from both teams such as; Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Ronaldo, Benzema, and Bale are all more than capable of finishing chances when presented to them. The trio of Barcelona forwards completely tormented the Manchester City back line on Wednesday night, and have this season have averaged an incredible 2.7 league goals between them this season, a devastating impact. The Madrid's forwards as mentioned above have managed to score 108 goals between them in 2014, which is extraordinary. This highlights the fact that the key battle within the war for this tie will be won and lost in the midfield area of the pitch. For the Los Blancos, the rejuvenated Luka Modric will play a huge part in this game, he is fit again and playing well once more. What i love about Modric is he has a duplex talent as a midfielder, he can defend and win the ball from defensive positions and also find a eye of the needle pass to thread a team mate through on goal, his battle with Ineista will be intriguing as the Spanish midfielder this season so far has not lived up to his huge name in European football. With just 3 goals this season and only a handful of assist it puts Iniesta in a fragile position when entering the field for the clasico. With the absence of Busquets, a huge performer for Barcelona these days, Ineista must recapture his old form and provide a telling display in a game which is so crucial for Barcelona's prospects for the season.
Defensively both sides look rather weak, which is a common trait in Spanish football, where the contingent focus seems to be on attacking play. Although both sides have improved defensively this year, between them they both still concede a goal every other game, and considering the clear gap of quality in the Spanish leagues below the top 4 this is quite a considerable amount of goals to be conceding. The key battles defensively will be between Mathieu and Pepe, and I say this because of the potential for ill discipline in both camps. As we know Pepe can be a hot head and he is no stranger to a sending off in a big occasion, take the world cup for example when he was sent off in Portugal's final group game. Him and his team-mate; Sergio Ramos must therefore maintain there calmness, as i previous clasico's they have been prone to receiving reckless and stupid red cards. For me, Mathieu is not a Barcelona player, and I'm not sure that he is capable of playing under the huge pressure that comes with being at a big club. I've been watching him in recent weeks and although a clean sheet was just kept against Manchester City, I thought he was the man in which the Man City players focused on exploiting. He has a lack of pace and can be reckless on times, also his decision making can be bizarre, if he starts against Real Madrid I think he is very likely to struggle with the pace and Physicality of Madrid's front line, and this could result in him being hugely exploited.
To conclude, I think home advantage and a run of good form will see Barcelona win this clasico. They have won 9 out of their last 10 games in all competitions, and against opponents of difficult stature. In comparison to Madrid who have only won 6 of their last 10 games and lost 3 of them. However as we all know the outcome of the El Clasico is always unpredictable, form does not really count for much in these games, where both sides are filled with some of the best players in world football. It will be an intriguing spectacle and one that you won't be able to take your eyes off until the final whistle.
Prediction: 3-1
Ryan Crow (c)
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