5 Key battles ahead of the El Clasico

Real Madrid vs Barcelona. The time is now. It is that week of the year when days just don’t come about fast enough. It is a 90-hour buildup to a 90-minute footballing extravaganza, featuring the best two football teams on the planet.But, just that doesn’t make this fixture special. It is the tension and animosity that two cultures have against each other – their tactics and ways of playing the game, lying at the polar opposites of the spectrum. A century-old battle, which only gets more heated with time. And that seemingly never-ending individual battle between the Beethoven and Mozart of the game, with their own stakes on the line.And, in this battle of battles, we have a few factors that would determine the route, and probably the result of the match. Nothing can be safely predicted with two teams who have thrown the form book as we know it out the window. Messi and co made an impetuous Davy Klaassen eat his words this week, while Ronaldo and co proved the pundits wrong after they predicted a tough night for them at Anfield. They might as well have taken a stroll through the Stanley Park, instead.It is in this fascinating backdrop that the 228th El Clasico is about to be played at the Santiago Bernabeu. Ahead of this monumental clash of the titans, here’s a look at the five main battles which could possibly determine the match.

#1 Madrid\'s attack vs Barcelona\'s defence

During the Guardiola and Mourinho years,it has always been the other way round – the pragmatism of Madrid vs the dynamism of Barcelona. It is the opposite this time around, with the Catalans not conceding a single goal in La Liga, while Madrid has scored 25 in their last five league fixtures. This is not to say that Barcelona lacks teeth in its own attack, but it’s no comparison to the armoury that the Blancos attack is.

With Ronaldo scoring an average of two goals per game, Benzema delivering a sensational performance against Liverpool and James Rodriguez replicating his World Cup form, Real Madrid has a well-oiled attacking trio that scores goals for fun. They will definitely miss Gareth Bale, but they have enough secondary options to make up for the costliest player in the world.

Irrespective of their formation, the Barcelona defence is going to have its work cut out. Dani Alves, Jordi Alba, Jeremy Mathieu and Gerard Pique or Javier Mascherano are going to have their hands full against the best attacking team in the world on current form.

Another fascinating battle would be Ronaldo vs Bravo; with the former scoring goals at will and the latter not having conceded a single goal in 700 odd minutes.