Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Things to Watch for in the Champions League Second Leg
After a controversial first leg, Real Madrid will head to the Nou Camp facing a massive up-hill battle. They must overcome a 2-0 deficit in order to qualify for the Champions League final, a tough ask before the loss of Pepe, Sergio Ramos and the touch-side presence of Jose Mourinho.
If they overcome the two-goal deficit after the home leg, they will be the first team to do so in a Champions League semifinal.
However, Barcelona will at least be without Carles Puyol, Andres Iniesta and maybe even Lionel Messi, who suffered a minor muscle tear during his impressive performance at the Bernabeu.
So, here are the things to look out for in the last of the four recent El Clásicos.
Fun Fact: Victor Valdes completed more passes than any of Madrid's outfield players during the first leg.
Defensive Mistakes from Barcelona
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Barcelona are facing an injury crisis that Pep Guardiola believes to be the worst since he took charge of the La Liga champions. The defence has been especially badly hit.
Carles Puyol was rested against Real Sociedad as he had an ankle problem from the first leg and has only just returned from a knee problem. Puyol is Barcelona's last remaining left back, having already lost Abidal, Adriano and Maxwell to injury or illness.
The centre of defence is no better. Javier Mascherano has been forced to fill in at centre back already this season and may well have to do so again against Madrid. He failed to impress in that position during Barcelona's recent defeat to Sociedad, conceding a penalty after coming off the bench.
Equally, Milito didn't look comfortable in central defence, and although he had a header incorrectly disallowed, he was at fault for Sociedad's equaliser.
All these injury problems mean that Real Madrid may have a better chance than they would have otherwise suspected against Barcelona's defence. Real Madrid are not yet out of this tie.
An on-Field Bust Up
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Real Madird's tackling and Barcelona's "simulation" led to several bust ups during the first leg, and with more pressure than ever, someone is almost certain to lose their temper and cause a bit of a scene.
The first leg saw a reserve goalkeeper sent off, so more touchline drama could ensue as well.
The bad behaviour of the first leg has led to some describing the two sides as a "disgrace" to football. If the two sides act as they did in the first leg, that will most certainly be true.
The Dani Alves-Pepe incident has been controversial to say the least, but Alves getting stretched off before running back on, as well as his insistence that Pepe deserved a red card, is a bit embarrassing.
Tough Refereeing
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Real Madrid and Barcelona have proved hard to control this season, so tough, no nonsense refereeing will be required to keep the two teams in line.
Any altercations or shouting at the referee should be dealt with quickly and harshly. It will make for a better game and should help to dissuade any potential diving and also make players think twice before squaring up to each other.
The referee for the second leg will be Frank de Bleeckere, one of the officials Mourinho believes favours Barcelona. He made a controversial sending off against Mourinho's Inter Milan last season and will have little choice but to be tough on any attempt, by either side, to influence him.
A Mourinho Outburst
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After his interview following the first leg, Mourinho is in hot water with UEFA, not an unfamiliar position for the Portuguese coach.
Mourinho could go one of two ways with regards to interviews. He could either go on another rant, further angering Barcelona as he throws out accusations of favourable refereeing and bad sportsmanship, or he could say nothing, resigning himself and his club to falling at the second to last hurdle.
It seems to me that Mourinho, whatever he may have said after the first leg, is unlikely to let any chance to vent his anger pass. If he does have another rant, it is bound to make headlines.
Lionel Messi
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Assuming Lionel Messi will play, one of the most important things to watch for will be the little Argentinian himself. Every time he gets the ball, there is a chance, and a pretty good one at that, that something truly special will happen. That was made obvious by his incredible run through the hearrt of Madrid's defence last week.
His astounding 52 goals in 51 games this season, as well as his 24 assists, mean that he is a huge threat to Madrid's chances of qualification. Even if he hasn't been having a good game, he really could strike at just about any moment, from just about anywhere on the pitch.
A Spirited Fight by Madrid
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Real Madrid are not just going to give up and gift the tie to Barcelona. They are going to fight as hard as they can to overcome the deficit and qualify for the Champions League final.
Mourinho may have said that the tie is effectively over, but his intense dislike for Barcelona means that he is likely to want his players to give their all. Mourinho is not short of impressive achievements, but qualifying for a second successive Champions League final, beating Barcelona in the process would be yet another story of success for his memoirs.
He will, therefore, be looking to motivate his players as much as possible before the match. The players are unlikely to be happy about losing at home and will try as hard as possible to overcome their Catalan rivals.
Fast Paced Attacking Football
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Real Madrid need a minimum of three goals if they wish to qualify. In order to do so, they will need to go out and play some attacking football. Past experience suggests that if you try to play attacking football against Barcelona, they will create plenty of chances.
Even if they try and shut Barcelona down and look to hit them on the counter attack, there will still be plenty of good football to watch. There is a lot of drama in counter-attacking football, especially as Madrid will be up against a weakened Barcelona defence.
So, watch out for plenty of fast, skilled and exciting football from some of the best the world of football has to offer.
Barcelona Qualifying
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When all is said and done, I think that Barcelona will come out on top. The Catalan's are rightly described as the best side in the world, and they are facing a weakened Real Madrid, at the Nou Camp, with a two-goal cushion.
Real Madrid will have to open up if they hope to score two goals, and as countless teams have discovered, opening up against Barcelona means conceding against Barcelona. Even if they play a more defensive side, the La Liga champions have a wealth of talent going forwards and are bound to create plenty of opportunities.
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