Real Madrid's campaign began with a tough game against Valencia at the Bernabeu. However, Gonzalo Higuain's goal after 10 minutes in the match was expected to calm down Madrid who looked slightly nervy after their summer break. It was not quite as effective as Madrid hoped and just before half time, Valencia's Jonas equalised. Madrid tried to break down Valencia after this but they always had to remain wary of the Valencia threat throughout the game. The game ended 1-1 and I thought either side could've won the game on a different day with the quality and quantity of chances they had.
Real Madrid then faced a derby match away at Getafe on the second day of the season. It took Madrid 27 minutes to break down Getafe and when they did, it had to be a nice finish from Higuain, where he rounded the keeper before slotting into the empty net from a tight angle. Madrid's lead lasted around 25 minutes before some poor defending from a Getafe free kick allowed Juan Valera to header past Casillas from the edge of the box. It was a simple and quick counter attack that gave Getafe the lead on the 75th minute. Barrada slotted past Casillas with a very tidy finish. Some very poor defending was witnessed here which was somewhat unusual from Mourinho's men in recent times. The night became more frustrating for Madrid when Fabio Coentrao was sent off as he sat on the bench on the 90th minute.
Real Madrid's 3rd game vs Granada saw Ronaldo score his first two goals of the season and it also saw Higuain bag his 3rd goal in as many matches. It was a routine 3-0 win for Madrid who were showing some signs of a return to their form of last season.
This return to form was short lived however, as Madrid had the very difficult trip to Sevilla up next. 2 minutes into the game and the enthusiasm the away fans held, was quashed straight away. Trochowski found space in the box from a Rakitic corner and he slammed a half volley into the roof of the net from 12 yards out. Another example of some weak Madrid defending on set pieces. Madrid were reasonably flat throughout the game, as Sevilla cancelled much of their threat, but they could've easily equalised on many occasions. The most notable misses were from Higuain who didn't have his best game on the night. Sevilla held out to give Madrid their second defeat of the season.
Madrid's game away at Rayo Vallecano had to be postponed a day due to an unforeseen electrical fault in the stadium. The game was arranged for the Monday night of that week and this change had little to no effect on Madrid's focus as they ran out comfortable 2-0 winners. The goals were scored by Benzema, who replaced Higuain after a good display and goal vs Manchester City in the Champions League that week and Ronaldo who scored a penalty kick. Rayo's left back Casado saw red at the end of the match and it had no impact on the game as a whole.
The next week saw Deportivo try to break their awful record against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. The signs for Jose Luis Oltra's side were good when Riki gave La Coruna a surprise lead after 16 minutes. Their lead didn't last very long as a Ronaldo penalty equalised. Di Maria gave Madrid the lead soon after. Ronaldo got a simple header for his second goal and Pepe added a fourth. Ronaldo sealed a very 'boring' hat trick when he scored his 2nd penalty of the game and Madrid ran out 5-1 winners on the day.
However, Barcelona's campaign has been very different as they've taken the maximum points available to them. Their season started with Puyol scoring on his return to action after injury, Castro equalised for Real Sociedad but 2 Messi goals, a Pedro goal and Villa's first goal since his return to action all gave Barcelona the best start possible as they won 5-1.
The next week, Barcelona faced a tough away trip to Osasuna. Joseba Llorente stunned Tito Vilanova's men after 20 minutes in the game as his goal sent Osasuna ahead. Barcelona were frustrated and it didn't seem as though they could pull out the win. This feeling lasted right up until Osasuna's Punal saw a red card. A minute later, Messi had equalised and he finished off the comeback on the 80th minute as Barcelona struggled to 3 points.
Barcelona then played the strong Valencia side that cost Madrid 2 points on the opening day of the season. An Adriano goal on the 23rd minute was all that separated the 2 sides, in what turned out to be a nervy match that neither side wanted to lose.
Adriano got his second goal in as many weeks when Barcelona faced Getafe away from home. It took Barcelona another 40 minutes to break down Getafe once again and it was Messi who did so, on two occasions. The first from the spot and the second was a very well worked team goal. Sarabia scored a consolation goal for Getafe when his strike took a massive deflection, bringing it past the hapless Victor Valdes. Villa gave Barcelona a 4th when he beat the offside trap to run in behind the defence, took down the beautifully placed pass on his chest and slammed home past the goalkeeper.
It took an inspired performance from Xavi when he came on against Granada, to give Barcelona 2 late goals and a 2-0 win. Granada who played with a great team spirit all the way through the game, were never able to stop Xavi. His constant ability to find space in the clutter Granada created around their box, was a major threat and they never were able to control this. Vilanova's decision to rest Xavi for that game was called into question and his reliance on the Spaniard worries many of the general public, as Xavi gets into the dying stages of his career. In this game tension between Villa and Messi was there for all to see as they argued in the middle of the pitch, uncharacteristic of Barcelona one may say.
The most recent and controversial game of Barcelona's season so far has been their trip to Sevilla. Sevilla took the lead through Trochowski, who already scored vs Madrid this season and Spanish international, Alvaro Negredo doubled Sevilla's lead just after half time. 5 minutes later Cesc Fabregas pulled one back for Barcelona. Cesc was involved in nonsense with Sevilla's Medel, which saw Medel get a red card for a headbutt. Whilst the intention was there, I think Fabregas did make a lot of this and a yellow card may have been more appropriate here. The referee's poor decision had a major impact on the course of this match and Fabregas equalised for Barcelona in the dying moments. That was not enough for Barcelona and they eventually squeezed out the winner. Who else was to score it after the controversy of last week than David Villa? A truly undeserved victory but that is one which could be key in May.
Possible Line Ups:
What could be changed?
Barcelona:
Having shown a poor understanding when playing together in recent matches, Alex Song may not be guaranteed a starting place for this match. Although Pique has been dropped from the Spanish squad due to injury there are rumours he is very keen to start this Clasico. I think Song will start but I won't be astonished if Pique does arrive.
The four attacking players that Barcelona will play on Sunday is very hard to predict. With talent like David Villa, Tello and Sanchez all looking to be involved, I am unsure if Fabregas or Pedro will start. I say Pedro will start over Sanchez due to speculation saying Sanchez may not be fit but if he is fit, I fully expect Sanchez to line up for Barcelona.
Real Madrid:
Marcelo or Coentrao? Tough decision for Mourinho due to the defensive weaknesses both have. I presume Mourinho will stick with Marcelo as he has done for most of the season so far but you can never be sure what Mourinho has up his sleeve.
Mourinho has to decide whether he is going to try and outscore Barcelona on Sunday or whether he plans to stifle the Barcelona attack. I've picked my midfield here on the opinion that Mourinho will try to stop Barcelona from completely dominating by playing Essien ahead of the creative players such as Modric, Ozil and Kaka. With Mourinho's strong affiliation to the powerhouse Essien I expect him to start also.
Benzema or Higuain? Having looked at the stats from the beginning of the season one may think Higuain may start due to his goals tally but with his performances in recent games, Benzema has landed himself a place in the starting team. His ability to lead the line and come up with magic is a massive difference with Higuain who is a poacher and relies on the creativity of others. Expect Higuain to be an impact substitute should things not be going well.
Key Players:
Lionel Messi
There is a real feeling in Europe that Messi is yet to hit his best this season and only looks a fraction of himself in past seasons. What better way would there be for Messi to silence those who are questioning him than by bagging a few goals in a Clasico? I can't think of one. With Madrid likely to play a very defensive midfield, it will be up to Messi to weave his way past Pepe and Ramos who will be keen to knock the Argentinian early on. Let's hope for neutral entertainment that he does hit his peak again.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Who else could be Madrid's man? With the hat trick he bagged last week against Deportivo, it seems to me that Ronaldo has overcome his recent sadness and is back to his best. It was previously claimed that Ronaldo isn't a big game player, but lately, Ronaldo has silenced those critics by stringing together an impressive goals tally against Barcelona. Should he play to the best of his ability this Sunday, Real Madrid are in with a really good opportunity to win this game. However, should Ronaldo play the way he did against Barcelona when he first arrived at Madrid, Real Madrid have no chance of pulling back the 8 point gap that exists in the league.
Prediction:
BARCELONA 3-3 REAL MADRID
In any other derby match around the world I would be labelled 'crazy' for predicting a 3-3 but with the amount of goals scored in Clasicos I see this as a very exciting prospect. Expect a red card/managerial confrontations on Sunday. I think Madrid will take a 2-0 lead early on as they try to apply the squeeze on the 8 point gap between the 2 sides. However, with the amount of late goals that Vilanova's side have scored recently I warn you all: This game won't be over until the final whistle goes.
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