“Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter’s honour.” This quote by Ernst Hemingway perfectly sums up what ‘El Clasico’ is all about and while there won’t be any ‘matadors’ tasked with killing a bull, a brilliant performance by either Real Madrid or Barcelona will result in honour and pride, and possibly even a La Liga title.
Los Blancos or Blaugrana? Ronaldo or Messi? The Spaniards or the Catalans? This fixture continues to divide a nation as it has done for over 100 years. Predominantly exhibition matches until the formation of La Liga in 1929, Barcelona dominated the early exchanges between the two dating back to their very first meeting in 1902. They are the only two teams other than Athletic Bilbao to have never been relegated and hold 56 championship crowns between them, and just once in the last 12 seasons have Barca or Madrid been pipped to the title – Atletico Madrid’s solo victory in 2013/14.
This weekend they will meet for 233rd time in competitive matches. Real Madrid just edge their rivals with 93 wins compared to Barcelona’s 90 and have really closed the gap in recent years however the two teams could not be further apart come Sunday. Zinedene Zidane’s men come into the clash in fine form, off the back of 4-2 drubbing of former manager Carlo Ancelotti’s Bayern Munich, to reach the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League for the 7th successive season in their bid to lift a record 12th trophy. Barcelona on the other hand, with the talented attacking trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar failed to find the back net against a stubborn Juventus side. Despite 19 efforts on goal, only one was even on target as Luis Enrique’s men were dumped out of the competition. They also find themselves 1 place and 3 points worse off than their rivals, having played a game more as well. In the 8 games since overturning PSG in that thrilling evening at the Nou Camp, they have conceded 12 goals and managed to win just half of those.
In their previous 10 league meetings at the Bernabeu, the venue for Sunday’s encounter, Barcelona have won five and drawn two, including a 4-0 demolition of Madrid in this fixture last season. Anything less than a win this weekend would surely see the title head back to the capital. Interestingly, in the last 7 games that Lionel Messi has failed to find the back of the net, Barca have failed to win, a run that includes 5 defeats and although opposite number Cristiano Ronaldo only has 19 goals in the league this season compared to the former’s 29, he goes into El Clasico after scoring a hat trick past Manuel Neuer in midweek.
This weekend will be a battle. Not just a battle between footballers on hallowed turf, but a clash of ideologies amongst its followers, an identity that fans defend with all their hearts. It’s probably the greatest football match in the world. It rivals some of the greatest sporting events and millions worldwide will be watching. “It’s definitely the biggest rivalry, anywhere, over anything. Anyone who says otherwise is probably deluded, Scottish, or both.”