Barcelona vs Real Madrid: A new era begins in El Clasico
Barcelona and Real Madrid will lock horns in the latest installment of El Clasico this Sunday, but it will surely feel like a very different atmosphere. For the first time ever, there will be no Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo spearheading their respective teams in one of the most highly watched games in world football. Ronaldo, of course, left Real Madrid for Juventus in 2018 and has now returned to Manchester United after 12 years away. Messi, meanwhile, is playing for another club other than Barcelona for the first time in his professional career. Indeed, no one really thought they’d see the six-time Ballon d’Or player in another kit – especially not in Europe – but he’s now on the books for PSG. Interestingly, he’ll be taking part in another huge derby clash, with PSG taking on Olympique Marseille in France’s version of El Clasico, known as “Le Classique” to fans worldwide.
In any case, this will be the first time in 16 years that Barcelona fans will have to watch the Blaugrana face Los Blancos without the talismanic Argentine. And both teams have had drastically different campaigns so far. Barcelona, who also lost Antoine Griezmann, are facing an uphill battle both domestically and on the continent. Their financial problems are no secret, and Ronald Koeman continues to be under intense pressure as the Blaugrana find themselves in a very disappointing eighth spot in La Liga, with just two wins from their last five. That being said, they do have a game in hand and are actually just two points behind Real Madrid due to the congested nature of the table at the moment.
A win, then, at Camp Nou would not just make it three wins across all comps for the struggling side but would do a world of wonders for boosting the confidence of players and fans. While Koeman is pretty much on his way out, it also could buy him a bit of time before being sacked. He’ll have to make do without key players such as youngster Pedri and experienced defender Jordi Alba, and all eyes will be on another youngster, Ansu Fati, who’s inherited Messi’s famous no. 10 shirt. And a third starlet, 17-year-old Gavi, is expected to slot into the starting XI after some strong showings for the first team this season.
Like Barcelona, Real Madrid also have seen some of their youngsters burst onto the scene this season. Karim Benzema deservedly gets much of the plaudits, as the French ace has racked up nine goals so far and is looking like an early contender for the Pichichi prize at the end of this campaign, but he’s closely followed by Vinicius Junior, who has netted six and looks to be truly enjoying his football under the tutelage of Carlo Ancelotti.
Real Madrid are in somewhat better form than Barcelona, but Los Blancos have also had their ups and downs this season. They suffered an embarrassing loss to Eastern European minnows Sheriff on matchday two of the Champions League, but have picked up six points thanks to wins over Inter, and most recently, a well-earned 5-0 rout of another Eastern European side, Shakhtar. However, they’re winless in their last two games, including a surprise 2-1 defeat to Espanyol just before the international break, while their match against Athletic Bilbao was cancelled, so this will be their first league match since October 3rd.
Gareth Bale and Dani Ceballos remain the long-term absentees for Los Blancos, while Isco isn’t back to full fitness just yet. However, Eden Hazard, who has endured a difficult time so far since making his major money move to Madrid last season, is back after another injury lay-off and will be hoping to be involved in some capacity here.
Given that it is a Clasico tie, it’s more than just three points at stake, and many will be eager to see if absence of legends like Messi and Ronaldo whether it will be the latest crop of up and coming stars such as Fati and Vinicius to be the protagonists in this game. Will this game mark a truly new era as fans are still getting used to seeing a Clasico without Messi and Ronaldo on the pitch? And which team will draw first blood in the opening Clasico of the 2021/22 season?
