El Clasico 1 preview 2014

Spanish powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona remain two of the finest clubs in football today and “El Clasico” is thee fixture between the two. Saturday will be the first instalment and you would be a fool to think that this rivalry is just a show for the trophies at stake or points that are up for grabs.

This year as in every year we will be spoilt for choice in this fixture with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo (CR7), Pedro, Toni Kroos, Andrés Iniesta, Lionel Messi, James Rodriguez, Neymar, Karim Benzema and Luis Suarez (though the latter might make his debut from the bench) all set to play. A notable omission will be the lightning fast Welshman Gareth Bale. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find as many star players sharing the pitch as we have seen during the Real Madrid v Barcelona showdowns, and without doubt, in the modern game, this is as good as it gets.

La Liga leaders Barcelona travel to Carlo Ancelotti’s free-scoring Real Madrid and a home win for Los Blancos would bring them to within a point of their unbeaten rivals, who top the table having won seven and drawn one of their eight matches so far.

Messi and Neymar this term have scored 15 La Liga goals between them and unbelievably CR7 has bagged 15 on his own – and the reigning Ballon D’or holder will be keen to reclaim that title for another term back-to-back.

As the clock ticks towards the billion-dollar grudge fixture , and the world waits with abated breath, it is hard predict a winner, but I can assure you that it will almost certainly be a game worth watching.

Prediction
My money is on the home side and though the 3-0 drubbing of Liverpool in midweek might have no barring, it does put Madrid in a good space if not then it just underlines the gulf in class between the English team and the current European champions.

Jade Christopher Bentley Adams signing off (@jcba)

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