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It's the clash of the Spanish titans on Saturday as Barcelona prepare to host LaLiga Santander champions Real Madrid at the Nou Camp.
Both the Blaugrana and the Blancos have had indifferent starts to the campaign and fell to their first defeats of the season on the same day — Barcelona lost away to Getafe, while Real Madrid were beaten at home by newly-promoted Cadiz.
While both sides head into the fixture on the back of disappointing league results, El Clasico holds the tag of being arguably the most anticipated match-up in European football and, perhaps, even beyond.
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For 90 minutes, the two historic rivals will not only compete for three points in the context of the title race, but also for bragging rights for their dominance in Spain.
That being said, here, we take a look at five reasons that could tip the scales in Barcelona's favour in their first clash of the season with Real Madrid.
#5 Barcelona's new system
Since the start of the 2019/20 campaign, Barcelona have seen three different managers at the helm. It was two-time title-winning boss Ernesto Valverde who began the campaign in charge, and was replaced with former Real Betis boss Quique Setien after a run of poor results. Setien was fired after Barcelona's historic 8-2 bashing at the hands of Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, and was replaced by Ronald Koeman.
With so many managers in charge, there has been a clash of multiple philosophies in a short span of time. Barcelona went from Ernesto Valverde's preferred 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 (with a number ten) set-ups to utilising the traditional 4-3-3 under Setien, and now, new manager Koeman has primarily opted for a 4-2-3-1.
The early signs of this new set-up have been positive, albeit it still is evident that the players need more time to settle into it. The free-flowing front four of Lionel Messi, Philippe Coutinho, Ansu Fati, and Antoine Griezmann is a breath of fresh air in comparison to that of the rigid systems of the past. There's a significant amount of creativity and fluidity, and since Luis Suarez's departure, there is more mobility as well. This will undoubtedly enable them to break teams down with greater ease.
Before the Getafe loss, they scored eight league goals in their first three league games, which is a testament to this system's promising early signs. In retrospect, the double pivot also offers far greater protection to their backline, which was another issue they faced previously.
#4 Fati & Coutinho's form
Building further on the previous point, Barcelona stars Ansu Fati, and Philippe Coutinho have played a massive role in this new-look Blaugrana side under Koeman. Fati continues to break records and recently became the youngest-ever player to win LaLiga's Player of the Month honour at just 17 years of age.
He has already racked up three goals in his three league starts this term. Even apart from his goalscoring, the teenager looks a frightening prospect to play against. Fati has added a new dimension to Barcelona's attack, with his incredible directness and pace on the flanks.
While many thought that Coutinho's dazzling cameo during Barcelona's 8-2 drubbing against Bayern Munich all but ended his career in Catalunya, Koeman has found a beneficial role for him in his plans. The Brazilian appears to have turned his career around and has been integrated as the central attacking midfielder in Barcelona's front four, and has been in sublime touch this year having already recorded a goal and a pair of assists.
The 28-year-old, who remains Barcelona's most expensive player to date, has been a key reason for their start under Koeman. Both Fati and Coutinho will look to further endear themselves even further to the Blaugrana faithful with a striking display in the Clasico.
Alsor read: 5 Best players signed by new Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman
#3 Real Madrid's recent form
While the defending champions have evidently focused more on their defensive solidity than on the other end, their recent form has been poor, to say the least. After beginning their campaign with a 0-0 draw away at Real Sociedad, they followed it up with an enthralling win away to Betis (2-3), and two well-fought victories against Levante (0-2) and Real Valladolid (1-0). However, it is the last couple of matches in particular that will worry the visitors.
Real Madrid fell to a shocking defeat to Cadiz (1-0), during which they failed to muster even one goal at home. Despite their best efforts and a host of attacking personnel on the pitch, they failed to break down a stubborn side, costing them their first loss at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano and their first defeat in 15 league games.
Their misery was compounded further against Shakhtar Donetsk as the Blancos capitulated in the first half, walking back to the dressing room with a dismal three-goal deficit. The best defensive side in the 2019/20 league campaign was, quite literally, ripped to shreds by a weakened Ukrainian line-up.
It was arguably their worst display during Zinedine Zidane's tenure at the club. The defending champions looked a shadow of the robust, defensively solid side that won the league last year. Granted that their inspirational leader Sergio Ramos wasn't available for the game, but that should be no excuse for such a poor display, particularly just three days before the Clasico.
#2 Key injuries to Real Madrid
While Barcelona are without a couple of key players of their own including star goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Real Madrid's injury list ahead of the fixture is far more concerning. Star forward Eden Hazard is, once again, sidelined with a muscle injury, much like he has been for the majority of his career as a Real Madrid player.
When fit, the Belgian is the sort of player who can single-handedly make the difference for his side with his mesmeric ability on the pitch. That being said, his fitness issues appear to be chipping away his chances of establishing himself as a key player for the defending LaLiga champions. However, the Clasico is just one of a string of games that Hazard has already missed or is set to miss.
Apart from the former Chelsea man's absence, there is a possibility of Real Madrid heading into the Clasico without a recognised, senior right-back. Dani Carvajal has been ruled out of the game as he continues to recover from his knee injury, and will miss approximately four to five weeks. Alvaro Odriozola has a chance of recovering in time, but remains a doubt as he has not played in a while either.
Elsewhere, Martin Odegaard is also set to miss the Clasico via a calf injury and could miss up to six weeks of action. Given Isco's poor displays in the recent past, this could come as another blow for the Blancos. Lastly, skipper Sergio Ramos is also sweating over his fitness, and although he could make it in time, he might not necessarily be at a 100% as he is on the brink of a recovery from his knock from last week. Due to so many injury concerns for the visitors, the hosts could look to capitalise and register a crucial win.
#1 Leo Messi, the king of El Clasico
When you have Lionel Messi among your ranks, that, by itself, is more than a reason for your side to have an edge — and this is especially the case in an El Clasico. Despite his relatively slow start to the campaign, the Argentine is the most prolific player in the history of the fixture's illustrious history.
The Barcelona skipper holds a set of incredible distinctions in his rivalry with Real Madrid. Messi is the all-time highest scorer in El Clasicos with a staggering 26 goals (ten from the penalty spot), and his tally of 14 assists is another record as well. The 33-year-old is also one of only five players in the fixture's history have registered two hat-tricks alongside Blaugrana and Blancos greats such as Santiago Bernabeu, Paulino Alcantara, Ferenc Puskas, and Jaime Lazcano.
Should Sergio Ramos miss out the game due to his injury tomorrow, Messi would level the Spaniard's record of the most number of appearances in Clasico history, which currently stands at 44. Messi's 43 appearances have yielded a total of 40 goals and assists, making him the greatest player in the history of the fixture — which, automatically, gives the Blaugrana faithful more of a reason to be optimistic ahead of the game.
Messi hasn't exactly started the new campaign on fire. In fact, both of his goals so far have come from the spot. But given his breathtaking history with this fixture, it's nearly impossible to rule out Messi's influence and potential impact on the game.
