Can Messi haunt Ronaldo in El-Classico?

Christmas may be just around the corner, but that isn’t on the minds of most football fans, with biggest game in the world taking centre stage on Saturday lunchtime, as Barcelona visit Santiago Bernabéu in El-Clasico derby match
Barcelona travel to Real Madrid for El Clasico, and it promises to be another cracker at the Santiago Bernabeu.
This is a fixture that never fails to live up to the hype, there have been so many legendary encounters over the years. Barcelona have won by four, five and six, Real have won by four and five, there have been six-goal thrillers and seven-goal stunners, including last year’s clash in Madrid.
It twisted and turned; Real were winning, then the Blaugrana took the initiative. James Rodriguez had seemingly saved a crucial point for the league leaders and eventual winners, only for Lionel Messi to stun the home crowd yet again to grab a winner in the nick of time; 4-3, for the second time in four years.
But this game has a different outlook, with an 11-point gap between the sides, Real’s title race could already be run. Having played in and won the Club World Cup this week, Real do have a game in hand and will hope victory can spark a LaLiga revival. It looks like the fireworks could be set off again. Don’t be expecting much festive cheer on Saturday.
Real Madrid may have won the Club World Cup this week, their fifth title of 2017, but they hardly convinced overall.
They struggled to break down Al Jazira in the semi final and had to come from a goal down, but Cristiano Ronaldo did break yet another record as the highest scorer in the competition’s history.
But they are struggling domestically, sitting fourth in LaLiga. Retaining the title feels a world away now, while they struggled in the Champions League, finishing second in their group behind Spurs.
On paper, it has been a fantastic season for Barcelona, who top the league by six points and remain unbeaten to this point. But it has not been all plain sailing for Ernesto Valverde; their performances have been questionable at times and they certainly do not look as strong as yesteryear. Although Luis Suarez is among our tips as FGS, having scored a brace against Deportivo La Coruna last week, he has struggled for form overall. Andres Iniesta’s recent performance levels will certainly breed hope, though.
Nelson Semedo didn’t make the side last week and Sergi Roberto did enough to keep his place at right-back. Valverde may have an issue out wide after Paco Alcacer was forced off with an injury, and with Ousmane Dembele still out with a hamstring problem, Aleix Vidal could start at the Bernabeu. Samuel Umtiti will also miss out.
With five goals in four games, Cristiano Ronaldo comes into the game in his best form of the season. He is now a striker, so the key thing for him is that he needs the service of the team. He doesn’t beat defenders one-on-one anymore, instead he needs the ball in positions where he can finish in one or two touches.
He has been getting more of that service lately. He’s also starting to feel comfortable in the position, and he has accepted the fact that he doesn’t have to play in every single game. From that point of view, he is maturing.
Gareth Bale remains Zinedine Zidane’s only major injury doubt, meaning Isco could start. Marco Asensio will be pushing for a start, too.
Ernesto Valverde agreed to play him in the centre soon after his arrival at the club. It has affected Luis Suarez, who can’t find as much space as in previous seasons, but it has allowed Messi to be even more influential, switching between playing as an attacking midfielder or as a forward.
Messi has got the intelligence for both roles and that is what sets him apart. He has been dropping deep and doing the job of Andres Iniesta at times, and yet he has still scored 14 goals in La Liga alone. He is the ultimate forward and we’ve seen that this season.
As well as scoring plenty of goals, he has hit the woodwork 12 times – seven more than any other player. It shows two things. That he is still shooting more than anyone else despite sometimes doing the job of a No 10 or central midfielder.
It’s a must-win game for Real Madrid, who are 11 points behind their arch-rivals, but Barcelona are undefeated in La Liga and they will be desperate to keep it that way.