Real Madrid look to cement their place at the top of La Liga in Sunday’s El Clasico

 

The football world will grind to a halt on Sunday evening as the Santiago Bernabéu hosts the latest instalment of El Clasico. The stakes for the sides’ last meeting of the season couldn’t be higher as Real Madrid sit just 3 points ahead of Barcelona, albeit with an extra match to play. A Barca defeat would likely see any hopes of winning come screeching to a halt.  

 

The two Spanish giants come into Sunday’s contest in drastically different moods. Los Blancos are riding high after kicking Bayern Munich out of the Champions League in extra time on Tuesday, setting up a semi-final date with cross-town rivals Atlético Madrid. 

 

Meanwhile, Barcelona are fresh off a 2-0 loss to Málaga in La Liga and an embarrassing 3-0 shutout over two legs at the hands of Juventus in the Champions League. To make matters worse, they have been unsuccessful in their attempt to overturn Neymar’s suspension. 

 

While the Brazilian’s suspension is a huge blow for the Barcelona attack, they will hope that the absence of Pepe and Raphael Varane can provide a window of opportunity to break down the Madrid defence. Although their own back line has come under heavy criticism in recent months, Madrid have managed to keep just two clean sheets since the start of February. 

 

Because a draw does Barcelona no good, Sunday’s match should be a wide-open affair with plenty of chances for Madrid to take advantage on the counter. 

 

The biggest lineup decision for either coach falls to Zinedine Zidane after Gareth Bale’s recovery from a calf injury. The Real Madrid boss will be tasked with choosing either Isco, who has been in scintillating form in recent weeks, or Bale, a player who adds an entirely dimension to the attack with his pace and strength.

 

 

Real Madrid: Navas; Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Nacho, Carvajal; Casemiro, Kroos, Modrić; Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale

 

Barcelona: ter Stegen; Umtiti, Pique, Sergio Roberto, Alba; Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitic; Messi, Paco Alcácer, Suárez,