El Clasico 2015: Form Guide, Live Stream, Real Madrid vs. Barcelona Predictions

Real Madrid can go top of La Liga by beating hated rival Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blancos' chances will hinge on the fitness of perennial tormentor Lionel Messi. The Barca forward has a chance to be fit enough to play after a lengthy injury absence.

Barcelona has managed to get by without Messi. Some exceptional performances from fellow attackers Neymar and striker Luis Suarez have carried the Catalan club. As for Madrid, the tactics of new manager Rafa Benitez still haven't quite taken hold. The result has been some stunted displays.

Here's the schedule and streaming information:

Date: Saturday, Nov. 21

Time: 5:15 p.m. GMT/12:15 p.m. ET

Live Stream: Sky Go / beIN Sports Connect

Form Guide

Madrid will enter this game in slightly shakier form. Benitez's men lost last time out, a 3-2 defeat at Sevilla. Still, four wins and a draw in their previous five matches at least proves the resolve of this new-look Real squad.

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

Specifically, Benitez has proved he hasn't lost his knack for navigating the big games. His team recently took four points from two games against Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Champions League.

The former Liverpool chief still knows how to set his teams up to stifle high-profile opponents. His tactics are sure to be a major factor in this Clasico. Expect Benitez to have his players press selectively and use a more direct style of passing to quickly transition defence to attack and exploit the spaces behind Barca's possession game.

Those transitions will be aided by the return from injury of Gareth Bale. The Welsh forward has declared himself fit, according to the club's official site (h/t Sky Sports). Bale hasn't always hit his stride in the Spanish capital but has the pace to terrorise Barca on the counter.

But it's not Bale's status that's set to dominate the headlines. It's all about Messi.

A crunch meeting has been arranged between the free-scoring mini-marvel and manager Luis Enrique to determine his readiness to feature, according to AS' Moises Llorens. Llorens indicated that the issue revolves around Messi not doing too much, thus potentially compounding his original injury.

Yet the squad that's lost just once in the league while Messi has been out remains confident about coping without him for one more game. Midfield playmaker Andres Iniesta expressed that confidence via the club's official Twitter account:

Iniesta's confidence is likely borne from the form displayed by Suarez and Neymar. The latter can even force his name into the conversation regarding the world's best player, according to Four Four Two's John Robertson. Robertson insisted that Neymar needs to dominate in the Clasico to make people look past Messi and Madrid's powerhouse, Cristiano Ronaldo.

If Neymar delivers, Barca can snatch a hugely significant win. Earning victory at the Bernabeu without Messi would not only double Barcelona's current advantage at the top but would also provide last season's treble winners with a major psychological fillip regarding how much they can achieve this season.

Still, if there's a league game where Messi's absence will prove decisive, it's this one. So will the mind of Benitez.

Prediction: Real Madrid 2-0 Barcelona