El Clasico: Barcelona vs Real Madrid - 5 talking points before the kick-off

#2 Pressure on Real Madrid of potentially losing the title as early as December

Real Madrid are already 11 points behind Barcelona

Eleven odd points represent a huge difference when it comes to the league title race, even for a strong team like Real Madrid. Although many teams has wiped out an eleven points difference in the past, but it has not been done in the La Liga for the past two decades.

Real Madrid have lost 2 games in the league season, one against Real Betis and the other against Girona. These two losses have cost Real Madrid heavily, as they find themselves 11 points behind leaders Barcelona even before the end of December with a game in hand.

Zidane, and every Madrid player knows this pretty well that they cannot afford to lose games anymore, if they want to challenge Barcelona for the title. A loss in the El Clasico will mean that Barcelona will gain a lead of 14 points.

A trail of 14 points with just 22 games remaining in the 2017/18 season will potentially throw Real Madrid out of the title race, even before Christmas. Even a draw in this game will help Barcelona maintain the 11 point lead. So, this match is a must-win game for the Los Blancos.

The pressure of all the 3 points from the Clasico may prove too hot for the defending champions to handle.