Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: El Clasico Will Live Up to Immense Hype

The end result of the Camp Nou clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona may be largely uncertain, but we can guarantee that this will be a classic you will not want to miss. 

We have been witnesses to as many hard-hitting Clasico matches as duds, and this certainly has the possibility of a match that will fall flat with fans. 

You can make the legitimate argument that Real Madrid will freely sandbag and play defensive football throughout, which makes sense in an away fixture that they absolutely need to escape with at least a share of the points. 

Barcelona is a dangerous side that can lull you to sleep with possession before releasing an unrelenting attack, but Madrid can well make up for this in defense. 

However, I don't see that happening as it would work counter to the best we have seen from Los Blancos recently. 

They are far better in instigating and pushing up, forcing teams to answer for their own assortment of weapons up front. 

Los Blancos have seen a once-commanding 10-point lead atop the La Liga table shrink to four, and a loss in tonight's match would be no less than disastrous. 

When you consider both squads need positive momentum headed into the second leg of Champions League semis, you begin to see how important it is for Real Madrid to match the pace of Barcelona. 

That pace, by the way, will remain constant from past matches from the Catalans. Xavi Hernandez said as much recently, via ESPN. 

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We try not to change our philosophy. We try to be the protagonists. Madrid have taken various approaches, but we have not changed our style for any match.

We always want the ball, to be in charge of the game, to maintain those long spells of possession that help us control the game and, from there, we try to win the match.

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Now is not the time to hope for a clean sheet against Barca because such a thing is a rarity, even with the back line talents of Madrid. 

There are far too many weapons on both sides to expect a nil-nil stalemate, and that means Real Madrid needs to be the first to draw blood at the Camp Nou. 

There is too much riding on this, and far too much to lose from either team to expect anything than a match that features a great many strikes, leading to a frantic pace that will be a feast for the eyes. 

I still like this to end in a 2-2 draw, but not before every ounce of football it poured onto the pitch from both sides. 

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