Five things Real Madrid must do to beat Barcelona

El Clasico is almost upon us. Saturday night shall see the two Spanish behemoths Real Madrid and Barcelona go head-to-head at the Nou Camp, in a league clash that will have a lot of bearing on how this season ends for both sides. Here we shall have a look at possible options for a Real Madrid win:

1) Don`t be overtly defensive - That’s not what Real`s ethos are all about. Jose is a pragmatist and he will be hard at work, plotting the downfall of the Catalan giants. But he shouldn`t repeat the mistake that he made at the Allianz Arena. Barca will find a way through and once they do, it`ll be a long way back for the boys in white. Marcelo must play instead of Coentrao.

2) Attack Barca - Real have had good results when they have taken the fight to Barca. Their 2-2 draw in the supercopa being a shining example of this case in point. They created so many chances in that game that a victory wouldn`t have surprised the viewers. Real have a brilliant attacking line-up and the likes of Kaka, Di Maria, Higuain, and Ozil must be given a chance to apply pressure on the Barca defense.

3) Target Barca`s centre - If sufficient pressure can be applied on the likes of Mascherano and Busquets, Real can reap a lot of dividends from the game. They should have Kaka and Higuain working in tandem at the front so that the back-line is put under enormous pressure. Kaka/Ozil will have a huge role to play. If they can be effective in the middle of the park then Real will be able to express themselves more in attack. This will in turn help the wingers Ronaldo and Di Maria. Better the sync between the forwards, more will be the number of chances created and more will be the number of chances to score.

4) Cristiano Ronaldo - He must be more involved with his team mates in such high voltage clashes. That way he can contribute more to the team`s cause. He is to Madrid what Leo is to Barca. While Leo shines almost every freaking time (63 goals this season and a month of football to go!) CR7 seems to become a little withdrawn if things don`t go his way. In such big games, it is obvious that he will be specially targeted and with Barca possessing players of such high caliber, it becomes all the more important that Ronaldo should be more in tune with his fellow madridistas and act in such a way that the opposition is thrown off their guard. More involvement from CR7 means better results for the team.

5) Give it your bloody best and see what happens next - Real know that they have it in them to topple the Barca juggernaut. Past defeats will force them to approach this game differently but those defeats must be put behind and a strong wave of optimism should course through the veins of the team starting from Iker Casillas and ending at Higuain. Barca must feel threatened by Real’s energy. Once the mental war has been won, the rest is easy pickings. This is where the real test will lie for Real. Can they beat Barca mentally?

The result of this game will have huge ramifications for each team`s season. If Real win, they will go into the Bayern match almost feeling secure with the knowledge that they will win La Liga. Lose, and they would be in a subdued state with just a point separating them from their arch rivals. If Barca loses, then it helps Chelsea who will want to strike while the iron is hot. A Barca win will put the title race back on track and then they head into the Chelsea game brimming with confidence. This match has a lot of pride riding on it and it is going to be a cracker at the Nou Camp!!