Despite all the struggles they faced this season, Barcelona have been quite formidable at home, thanks to one guy named 'Lionel Messi'. Will that be enough for them to trump Real Madrid tonight?
Real Madrid and Barcelona had more or less a similar kind of season so far. They struggled together, showed glimpses of improving at times, then in the very next match they dashed all those hopes. Valverde's Barcelona lies top of the table courtesy of the goal difference and assisted by Real Madrid with their inconsistency in no less measure.
So When a Barcelona who is being coached by a clueless Valverde and an inconsistent Real Madrid collide tonight at the Camp Nou, everything is up for the grabs. Barcelona would start as a slight favorite due to the home advantage and also having Messi in their ranks. But the game is well balanced due to their defensive fragility!
Valverde Expected to Start with Usual Line-up, Zidane may Surprise Us
It's not a surprise how Valverde will line-up the team for this match. We should have Messi, Saurez and Griezmann trio upfront. Rakitic, De Jong and Busquets should occupy the midfield. The defense should see Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, and Alba.
How Real Madrid will line-up is still in doubt, at least for us! Everyone expects a 4-3-3 line-up, but Zidane could spring a surprise or two in the midfield selection. The larger consensus would be is that he will start with Kroos, Casemeiro, and Valverde in midfield and Rodrygo, Benzema and Vinicius upfront.
But such a line-up will be hard for Zidane to roll out. Zidane will always man-mark Lionel Messi and with that six, it would be extremely difficult. A 4-4-2 with another midfielder will allow him to do that. So it could be a 4-4-2 which could line up.
Another factor which could drive Zidane for a four-man midfield would be the brittle nature of both Rakitic and Busquets. If he has studied Barcelona's games this season, it's clear the midfield gets overrun if either Busquets or Rakitic is put under pressure. He would definitely love to do that to destroy Barcelona's rhythm.
Barcelona's Destiny will be decided by Lionel Messi
With Valverde in charge, the outcome of this match depends on Lionel Messi more than ever. Barcelona will dominate the match if he has another spectacular match. Unlike in the Real Sociedad match, Messi needs to read whether his midfield is in trouble and drop deep to help them. Otherwise, he will remain lonely for the majority of the match.
Then we all know, against Real Madrid he raises his game a notch or above always. This encounter demands such a performance. He needs to rein in the title race firmly in Barcelona's hands by winning this Clasico. With a victory, Barcelona can overtake Real Madrid in head to head record in the League for the first time in history.
All About FC Barcelona
AllAboutFCBarcelona.com is a Blog dedicated to the Most prestigous Club in the world, FC Barcelona by an ardent fan. Here I discuss about the Latest happening surrounding our Club and present my Views about the same.
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