El Clasico 2014: Top Storylines Heading into Real Madrid vs. Barcelona Clash
No rivalry in world football speaks to the imagination more than El Clasico, the battle between Spanish heavyweights Real Madrid and Barcelona.
With decades of history, some of the biggest names in the sport and the most desirable trophies in the world on the line every year, Los Blancos and the Blaugrana hardly need any added incentive to make El Clasico a must-watch event every time.
That's what will make Saturday's clash such a spectacular one: Apart from the usual storylines, there's plenty of extra intrigue surrounding this early-season matchup, and fans can't wait to see how everything will play out.
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Here are the top storylines heading into the 228th El Clasico.
Lionel Messi's Date with History
Lionel Messi's goal against Eibar marked the 250th time he found the net in his La Liga career, just one shy of the record set by legendary Athletic Bilbao forward Telmo Zarra, via OptaJoe:
The Argentina international has a chance to make history on Saturday. However, in order to do so, he'll have to get the job done in the lion's den: the sacred pitch of the Estadio Bernabeu.
La Liga officials had been praying for weeks he'd either break the record before El Clasico or get into a slump and have no chance to do it on Saturday, but the football gods chose otherwise. And, quite frankly, that's exactly how every neutral fan would have wanted it to be.
Fans and pundits may be anxious to see how the Bernabeu crowd would respond to a Barcelona player equaling (or breaking) such a phenomenal record, but league president Javier Tebas believes the Real faithful would act superbly, as he told Marca (h/t Goal's Ruper Fryer):
"On that same pitch I've seen the crowd give [Diego] Maradona and Ronaldinho a standing ovation. I think Spanish football realises how important the player is to our league. Real Madrid fans know football and have always been a very gentlemanly crowd. If they've applauded these two superstars, why wouldn't they applaud Messi?
"
Personally, I believe the same thing. The fans of Los Blancos appreciate greatness when they see it, and they would give Messi the standing ovation he deserves.
The question is whether or not he will actually do it. Having scored in six straight matches, per WhoScored.com, it sure seems likely.
Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Claudio Bravo
Cristiano Ronaldo set a record for the hottest scoring start in La Liga history with 15 goals in just eight matches, as reported by the club's official website. Claudio Bravo set a similar record, going longer without conceding a goal to start the season than any stopper in La Liga history, via fcbarcelona.com.
Unstoppable force, meet immovable object.
It's almost impossible to imagine Los Blancos not scoring on Saturday, with Ronaldo in better form than ever and the rest of the squad not far behind. But at the same time, the Catalan giants have yet to concede for a reason—their defence is pretty darn good.
Sure, they've yet to play any of the top attacking teams in La Liga, and Eibar's Ander Capa should have ended the streak last week, via Bleacher Report UK:
But going eight matches without getting scored on is no fluke, no matter how lucky a team gets. Barcelona's defence is scary good, but so is Real's attack. And on Saturday, the two units will finally meet face to face.
The Return of Luis Suarez
Luis Suarez would make his La Liga debut if he played on Saturday, so perhaps "return" seems like a poor choice of words. Except it really isn't. El Clasico is a global event, with millions of viewers tuning in to watch two of the top clubs in the sport go head-to-head.
The last time those millions of viewers saw Suarez on a pitch, he was nibbling on Giorgio Chiellini's shoulder. The Italy international forgave Suarez, as he shared on Twitter, and the Uruguayan striker apologized and did his time:
But people haven't forgotten, and it will likely take years before they finally do. Some will be anxious to see how his form holds up after not playing a top-level competitive match for months, and how he adapts to playing with the likes of Messi and Neymar.
Others will want to see him fail, gloating at every bad touch and mocking him for things that happened in the past (but that shouldn't define his future). Given the animosity between Real and Barcelona, don't be shocked to see a number of banners or signs inside the stadium alluding to the incident at the 2014 World Cup.
Regardless of what happens or how he performs on Saturday, Suarez's return to the pitch will be must-watch television. One of the most polarising players in the sport, his La Liga debut will only add to the fire and drama fans can expect to see in this season's first Clasico.
