El Clasico: The Derby to End All Others

Well here we are again. Another year, and another Spanish Clasico: the clash of the titans, the match that seems to take hold of Europe every year, that captivates football fans across a continent, a spectacle shown in pubs and bars from London to Paris, Moscow to New York City, and everywhere in between.

The last time these two teams meet is etched in history—for one team, one that has been immortalized on posters, postcards and commemorative t-shirts—and for the other, one they’re trying desperately to forget.

May 7^th, 2008. Real Madrid had only clinched their 31^st La Liga title 72 hours before putting Barcelona through the most humiliating of Spanish sporting traditions: forming the pasillo and clapping their most bitter of rivals out of the tunnel before the match.

The contest itself was only salt on the wounds, as Barcelona had to endure a 4-1 thumping in the Santiago Bernabeu: an embarrassing finish to an overall embarrassing season.

Fast Forward to December 13^th: the tables have most definitely turned. New manager Pep Guardiola has led the Blaugrana to 11 wins in their last 12 La Liga matches, with summer signings like Dani Alves, Seydou Keita and Alexander Hleb adding even further depth to a squad that already boasts the signatures of superstars Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Xavi, Iniesta, and Samuel Eto’o—the latter netting an astonishing 14 goals before the Christmas break already.

Madrid on the other hand, has not been so fortunate. A squad that looked terrifying at the beginning of the season now looks anemic, unable to get results in the league against minnows Almeria, Getafe, and Valladolid.

Los Merengues midfield, that during the first few weeks looked invincible with the talent of Wesley Sneijder, Rafael Van der Vaart, Arjen Robben and Diarra, is now a shadow of its former self. A season-ending injury to Ruud van Nistelrooy has left Los Blancos without their keystone predator.

Other players currently unavailable to Madrid for this weekend include first-teamers Sneijder, Diarra, Pepe, and Gabriel Heinze, all out through injury, with Robben—Madrid’s shining light in the last few fixtures—out through suspension.

Languishing in fifth place in the table, Real are already being written off by journalists and critics, due to perhaps the most damning development in the last week: the dismissal of former coach and player Bernd Schuster, and the dubious appointment of Tottenham reject Juande Ramos.

Apparently, despite what can only be described as a colossal failure at the North London club, Ramos inherits a Madrid squad that has looked incapable of tying its own boot laces than getting a result against the most feared side in Europe.

However, a strong showing against Zenit St. Petersburg will have boosted the capital club’s confidence before making the cross-country trip to the Camp Nou, Ramos notching his first win in a campaign that he has been charged to salvage.

Ramos also seemed to test out players in a couple of new positions against the Russian club, getting a feel for his new side. Robben was allowed to swing from his favored right side to the left at will, and Marcelo was tried in attack in the second half.

Due to Robben’s pending absence, either Marcelo or Royston Drenthe will most likely be expected to work one flank of the Barca defense, with either van der Vaart or Guti seemingly favored on the other.

Defense will also be a major worry for Madrid, who has given away goals like they were bad stocks so far this season. Cannavaro will be expected to marshal the back line on Saturday alongside Sergio Ramos, and Metzelder and Michel Salgado will probably be called upon as well in order to try to lockdown the 18-yard box against Barca’s simply devastating attack.

Despite Madrid’s apparent weaknesses, the Clasico has never failed to disappoint, and this year will surely be no different, with so much at stake. For Madrid: the ability to regain their momentum going into the second half of the year. For Los Cules, the prospect of effectively burying their rivals to a 12-point deficit.

Either way, every football fan in the world is in for one hell of a confrontation on Saturday.