On Sunday evening, the latest El Clasico will take place at Bernabeu, with La Liga leaders Real Madrid hosting third-placed Barcelona in the Spanish capital.
Real Madrid leads Sevilla by 10 points at the top of the league, while Carlo Ancelotti’s team leads Barcelona by 15 points coming into this weekend’s match.
Real Madrid has not been without its troubles this season, but they have been by far the best team in Spain’s top division, and it would be a great surprise if they were unable to win the title from this position, where they lead second-placed Sevilla by ten points.
Ancelotti’s squad is aiming for a league and Champions League double this season, and they will face Chelsea in the European Cup quarter-finals, with the first leg set for April 6 at Stamford Bridge and the return on April 12 at the Bernabeu.
Real Madrid has won four straight games in Spain’s top flight, including a 3-0 win over Mallorca on Monday night.
Los Blancos hold a 10-point lead over Sevilla and are 15 points ahead of both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, despite the fact that Barcelona has a game in hand and will be confident of catching Sevilla, and Atletico will be targeting the position directly below their capital rivals.
Real Madrid has the greatest home record in La Liga this season, winning 10 and drawing four of their 14 games for 34 points, and they have won all four of their league meetings with Barcelona, including a 2-1 victory at Camp Nou earlier this season.
Barcelona has not beaten Real Madrid in La Liga since March 2019, losing four of their past five encounters in the Spanish top flight, but they are a different team than the one that lost the reverse fixture at Camp Nou in October.
The Catalan club has also won its previous four league games, including a 4-0 victory over Osasuna last weekend, and is unbeaten in Spain’s top flight since December.
While Real Madrid has been idle since Monday, Barcelona was in action on Thursday evening in Turkey, where they defeated Galatasaray 2-1 to advance to the Europa League quarter-finals.
Xavi’s team is entering a crucial phase of the season, with league matches against Real Madrid and Sevilla coming up before a trip to Frankfurt for the first leg of their last-eight tie.
There is no denying that Blaugrana has had a difficult season, but winning the Europa League and finishing second in La Liga would be considered a triumph ahead of what is expected to be a busy summer transfer market.
Karim Benzema did not exercise with Real Madrid on Saturday morning, and the France international has been ruled out of this match due to a calf injury.
Despite sustaining a hefty knock against Mallorca, Rodrygo has been confirmed fit, but Ferland Mendy is out with a muscle injury, therefore Nacho is anticipated to start at left-back.
Ancelotti is unlikely to make any midfield surprises, with Toni Kroos, Casemiro, and Luka Modric all expected to start, with Marco Asensio likely to start on the right.
Benzema’s absence will allow Gareth Bale, Mariano Diaz, Luka Jovic, or Isco to take his place in the starting lineup, with the latter possibly getting the nod to play as a false nine this weekend.
Alejandro Balde, Ansu Fati, Sergi Roberto, and Samuel Umtiti have all been ruled out for Barcelona, while Sergino Dest has also been ruled out due to a hamstring injury.
Head coach Xavi is anticipated to make a few changes from the side that started against Galatasaray, with Dani Alves likely to return at right-back, and Ousmane Dembele replacing Adama Traore in a front three with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres.
The midfield is set, but there is still a question mark over Gerard Pique’s centre-back partner, and all signs are that Eric Garcia will start El Clasico ahead of Ronald Araujo.