As the season's 3rd El Classico draws closer, 18 Yard Box analyses the tie and predicts a winner.
The attention now shifts towards the Nou Camp as Barcelona welcome Real Madrid for the first of the double headers this week. Meeting twice within the same week, this match is of utmost importance for both the teams. Madrid, would like to book their place in the finals whereas Barcelona would be looking to put their Champions League woes behind them and hunt for the Spanish King's Cup crown.
It seems Tito Vilonova's absence is being slowly felt by the Blaugrauna outfit. Going strong in the League campaign, Barcelona have looked a little nervous in the first leg encounters against AC Milan (UEFA Champions League) and Real Madrid (Copa del Rey). As rightly pointed out by some of the pundits, even the best side in the world needs to be 'well drilled'. The men in purple will be looking at this tie to propel their confidence as they await AC Milan next week in the Champions League.
It is really difficult to find a weakness in this Barcelona side. But being prone to long balls and huge aerial passes, it becomes difficult to handle for Barcelona when balls are played above their defensive backline. With Pique off colour and Busquets the only tall player, Barcelona's height is their disadvantage. If Madrid can exploit this weakness, they surely have a chance to make it to the final. Puyol and Pique need to be attentive as Xabi Alonso's 'Hollywood Balls' could spell danger for the Barca defense.
Barcelona will line up in their traditional 4-3-3 system with Busquets and Xavi as the passers in the centre of the park. They will look to hold the ball and release Iniesta or Sanchez down the wings. This movement needs to be stopped for Real to really stamp their authority on the game. And with Khedira, they have got exactly the kind of player who can charge down each pass for the entire 90 minutes. His partner in the crime, Xabi Alonso, on the other hand will look to utilize his break up to spray useful passes around the park for Madrid’s attacks.
With Messi dropping deep to pick up possession, his marker(Pepe/Ramos) needs to make sure that he not only keeps tabs on his movements, but also makes sure that he doesn’t get caught out of position when the Argentine will look to release his team mates through on goal. Another area of danger for Real will be their bombarding full backs (Alves and Alba), who need to be countered by Ronaldo and Di Maria’ s tracking back.
Real Madrid
One of the most successful clubs in Spain, Real Madrid, face a humiliation in the League like never before. 16 points behind Barcelona in La Liga, Madrid face a near impossible task to win it. The only consolation that remains is the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. Facing United in one, Madrid stand a a great chance of upsetting the 19 times English champions. But when they take on Barcelona, it sends shivers down their spine. Having lost 13 times in the previous decade to Barcelona, Jose Mourinho has a tough task in his hands.
Strengths
The return to form of Cristiano Ronaldo has given Madrid the much needed boost to clinch a final berth. To add to this, Madrid have looked really strong in the previous weeks. Ozil and Modric have hot top form and the return of Kaka seems to add a great depth to the Real Madrid squad.
Alongwith this Madrid have found a great defender in the form of Raphael Varane. The French youngster looks set to take over the reins from Pepe and has been in the top of his game ever since he has been given the opportunity. Having scored in the first leg against Barcelona, the Catallan giants will be weary of his physical presence during set pieces.
Weakness
The enigmatic Karim Benzema has failed to live up to his standards this season. Looking ragged, he has not been amongst the goals. To add to this, Madrid's second striker, Gonzalo Higuain, too has looked rusty. Both were in tremendous form last year but have suddenly slipped up this year.
Madrid also miss their inspirational captain Iker Cassilas at the back as he is out with a thumb injury. In his place, Diego Lopez has done well but still has much to do stop Barcelona tonight. Ramos has looked weak defensively and has to step up his game if Madrid aim to stop their rivals. All in all the Madrid defence, except for Varane, looks shaky and can be easily penetrated if discipline is not maintained.
Madrid's off field problems still continue with Jose Mourinho all but set to leave this summer. The Portuguese manager has been sort after by his former club Chelsea and reports from various tabloids suggest that the talks between him and the club have been ongoing.
Tactical Approach
Real Madrid will start with their usual attacking 4-2-3-1 with Ronaldo and Di Maria the focal points of their attack. With Xabi Alonso and Khedira, they have got two of the hard working midfielders who will look to supply them the passes after breaking up Barca’s play.
Both Ronaldo and Di Maria might look to cut inside and get shots away from distance and the Catalan full backs will have to be wary of them as they are equally potent while running to the by-line. Busquets, for this reason, will have an important job at hand as he will look to help out the full backs while defending and pass them out of danger when he does receive the ball.
Another area where Barca could be threatened is the back- to-form Kaka. Although he might not start the game, Mourinho will make sure to use him at some point in the game as his ability to play from the deeper position is unmatched by anyone else.
Madrid would sit deep and would look to attack on the counter with Ronaldo and Di Maria. Morevoer, set pieces is where Madrid will look to exploit the Barca defence.
Key Battles on the pitch
1. Lionel Messi v/s Raphael Varane
Messi, arguably the best player of the world in recent times, has been scoring goals at will but in the past encounter, Messi hasn’t been able to create that much an impact, credits to Raphael Varane.
The 19-year old defender justified his move to Real Madrid from Lens 2 years back by holding back and restraining Messi from scoring or even creating a chance to score. Varane was clinical in his tackles and never allowed Messi any space to work his magic. Going by form, it might be a tough battle to judge but the change in pace alongwith the link up play of Messi would be just too hot for the youngster to handle.
2. Andres Iniesta v/s Alvaro Arbeloa
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| Whackk.com |
The attention now shifts towards the Nou Camp as Barcelona welcome Real Madrid for the first of the double headers this week. Meeting twice within the same week, this match is of utmost importance for both the teams. Madrid, would like to book their place in the finals whereas Barcelona would be looking to put their Champions League woes behind them and hunt for the Spanish King's Cup crown.
The first leg saw both the teams end the night as equals as Raphael Varane's 81st minute header cancelled out Cesc Fabregas' strike. Although Barcelona have the precious away goal advantage, Madrid have done well in the past games at the Camp Nou and would be looking forward to another magical night.
18 Yard Box analyses the game.
Barcelona
It seems Tito Vilonova's absence is being slowly felt by the Blaugrauna outfit. Going strong in the League campaign, Barcelona have looked a little nervous in the first leg encounters against AC Milan (UEFA Champions League) and Real Madrid (Copa del Rey). As rightly pointed out by some of the pundits, even the best side in the world needs to be 'well drilled'. The men in purple will be looking at this tie to propel their confidence as they await AC Milan next week in the Champions League.
Strengths
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| The trio pose a potent threat in attack |
The midfield trio of Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas has come to life for Barcelona. The slick one touch football alongwith the finishing prowess of Messi and off lately David Villa too, has seen Barcelona rake in 82 goals in the La Liga this season. With a strong squad depth, this Barcelona squad looks more formidable than ever.
The Barcelona defence, which looked bleak in the previous editions has also clicked. Playing with a make shift defence for the better half of the season, it is really commendable to see that they have only conceded at a mere 1.12 goals per game- an excellent defensive record. Jordi Alba has gelled well and looks great going forward and the Barca forwards in the form of Sanchez and Villa have surely lent a helping hand to Messi in terms of goals and assists.
Weakness
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| The former United man needs to pick himself up |
It is really difficult to find a weakness in this Barcelona side. But being prone to long balls and huge aerial passes, it becomes difficult to handle for Barcelona when balls are played above their defensive backline. With Pique off colour and Busquets the only tall player, Barcelona's height is their disadvantage. If Madrid can exploit this weakness, they surely have a chance to make it to the final. Puyol and Pique need to be attentive as Xabi Alonso's 'Hollywood Balls' could spell danger for the Barca defense.
One more cause for concern was the slow speed of passing which the players have resorted to over the previous two matches. They have dropped their tempo a bit and this has seen teams come close to beating them. Milan did quite well to stop Barca's attack and Madrid could take a hint or two from that clash. Barcelona find it difficult to penetrate when the teams defend in 'zones'. This weaknesss had been first exposed by Mourinho during his Inter days and has also been used effectively by AC Milan over the past two seasons in the Champions League.
Tactical Approach
Tactical Approach
 |
| Talking Tactics: Barcelona |
Barcelona will line up in their traditional 4-3-3 system with Busquets and Xavi as the passers in the centre of the park. They will look to hold the ball and release Iniesta or Sanchez down the wings. This movement needs to be stopped for Real to really stamp their authority on the game. And with Khedira, they have got exactly the kind of player who can charge down each pass for the entire 90 minutes. His partner in the crime, Xabi Alonso, on the other hand will look to utilize his break up to spray useful passes around the park for Madrid’s attacks.
With Messi dropping deep to pick up possession, his marker(Pepe/Ramos) needs to make sure that he not only keeps tabs on his movements, but also makes sure that he doesn’t get caught out of position when the Argentine will look to release his team mates through on goal. Another area of danger for Real will be their bombarding full backs (Alves and Alba), who need to be countered by Ronaldo and Di Maria’ s tracking back.
Real Madrid
One of the most successful clubs in Spain, Real Madrid, face a humiliation in the League like never before. 16 points behind Barcelona in La Liga, Madrid face a near impossible task to win it. The only consolation that remains is the Champions League and the Copa del Rey. Facing United in one, Madrid stand a a great chance of upsetting the 19 times English champions. But when they take on Barcelona, it sends shivers down their spine. Having lost 13 times in the previous decade to Barcelona, Jose Mourinho has a tough task in his hands.
Strengths
 |
| Could we see this celebration from him tonight? |
The return to form of Cristiano Ronaldo has given Madrid the much needed boost to clinch a final berth. To add to this, Madrid have looked really strong in the previous weeks. Ozil and Modric have hot top form and the return of Kaka seems to add a great depth to the Real Madrid squad.
Alongwith this Madrid have found a great defender in the form of Raphael Varane. The French youngster looks set to take over the reins from Pepe and has been in the top of his game ever since he has been given the opportunity. Having scored in the first leg against Barcelona, the Catallan giants will be weary of his physical presence during set pieces.
Weakness
 |
| He needs to fire right away |
The enigmatic Karim Benzema has failed to live up to his standards this season. Looking ragged, he has not been amongst the goals. To add to this, Madrid's second striker, Gonzalo Higuain, too has looked rusty. Both were in tremendous form last year but have suddenly slipped up this year.
Madrid also miss their inspirational captain Iker Cassilas at the back as he is out with a thumb injury. In his place, Diego Lopez has done well but still has much to do stop Barcelona tonight. Ramos has looked weak defensively and has to step up his game if Madrid aim to stop their rivals. All in all the Madrid defence, except for Varane, looks shaky and can be easily penetrated if discipline is not maintained.
Madrid's off field problems still continue with Jose Mourinho all but set to leave this summer. The Portuguese manager has been sort after by his former club Chelsea and reports from various tabloids suggest that the talks between him and the club have been ongoing.
Tactical Approach
 |
| Talking Tactics: Real Madrid |
Real Madrid will start with their usual attacking 4-2-3-1 with Ronaldo and Di Maria the focal points of their attack. With Xabi Alonso and Khedira, they have got two of the hard working midfielders who will look to supply them the passes after breaking up Barca’s play.
Both Ronaldo and Di Maria might look to cut inside and get shots away from distance and the Catalan full backs will have to be wary of them as they are equally potent while running to the by-line. Busquets, for this reason, will have an important job at hand as he will look to help out the full backs while defending and pass them out of danger when he does receive the ball.
Another area where Barca could be threatened is the back- to-form Kaka. Although he might not start the game, Mourinho will make sure to use him at some point in the game as his ability to play from the deeper position is unmatched by anyone else.
Madrid would sit deep and would look to attack on the counter with Ronaldo and Di Maria. Morevoer, set pieces is where Madrid will look to exploit the Barca defence.
Key Battles on the pitch
1. Lionel Messi v/s Raphael Varane
Messi, arguably the best player of the world in recent times, has been scoring goals at will but in the past encounter, Messi hasn’t been able to create that much an impact, credits to Raphael Varane.
The 19-year old defender justified his move to Real Madrid from Lens 2 years back by holding back and restraining Messi from scoring or even creating a chance to score. Varane was clinical in his tackles and never allowed Messi any space to work his magic. Going by form, it might be a tough battle to judge but the change in pace alongwith the link up play of Messi would be just too hot for the youngster to handle.
2. Andres Iniesta v/s Alvaro Arbeloa
Stakes are high for this high-profile
encounter as both these prized footballers take to the pitch today. Arbeloa, the
Spanish international would have a tough time on the right defending against
the midfield magician Iniesta.
Iniesta, with all his attacking prowess, would
look to wreck havoc along the left flank of Barcelona and exploit the defensive
weaknesses of Arbeloa,who hasn’t been that much convincing for the Galacticos,
as of yet. Iniesta’s combination play with Messi in the centre and Xavi and
Fabregas behind him, will give him ample support to create many goal-scoring
chances. Hence, going into the match Iniesta clearly holds the upper hand when he faces his Spanish compatriot.
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| Pyramid Labs |
The Final Verdict
Going by the past encounters at the Nou Camp, Madrid havent lost their previous three. This gives the Galacticos the edge over their firece rivals. A 2-2 draw is very much likely however a 2-1 Barcelona victory could also be possible. It all remains to be seen as how Barcelona start. If they move the ball as they did against Milan, Madrid could punish them.
Written By,
Rishabh Ghai, Aman Arora and Rishav Ghosh
Rishabh is a writer for Goal.com India, International, AIS and Writer and editor at 18 Yard Box.
Aman is a writer for Goal.com India, GMF and a writer and editor at 18 Yard Box.
Rishav is a writer for 18 Yard Box.
Follow Rishabh Ghai on Twitter
Follow Aman at @aman_ghs
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