Despite missing its two biggest protagonists in the last decade, “el clasico” between Barcelona and Real Madrid still provides an abundance of storylines.
The match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Camp Nou marks the first time El Clasico will be played without Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo since 2007. Messi was injured in Barcelona’s match against Sevilla and is set to be out of action for at least three weeks. On the other hand, Cristiano Ronaldo, moved on from Real Madrid and joined Juventus during the summer.
All that being said, el clasico still provides plenty of storylines both on and off the pitch.
More from La Liga
- Jude Bellingham will carry on Real Madrid’s No. 5 jersey legacy
- A night of farewells for Barcelona against Mallorca
- Barcelona manager backs Vinicius Jr. following racist abuse
- Barcelona all but seal LaLiga title with win over Osasuna
- Barcelona look to edge closer to LaLiga title
For Barcelona, the story coming into the match is how they will manage without their best player in Lionel Messi. Against Inter Milan midweek, Ernesto Valverde opted for Rafinha to accompany Coutinho and Luis Suarez in the attack.
Valverde does have a plethora of options on the bench. He could opt to use Rafinha again or switch formation and go with a 4-4-2 and add another player in midfield. He could also stick with the same formation and play either Malcom or Ousmane Dembélé.
This brings us to our next talking point which is the aforementioned Frenchman. Dembélé came under criticism for his lackadaisical play when he came on the pitch to replace Messi against Sevilla. As a result, he was left on the bench in their Champions League game. Now there are claims that the club wants him to make some lifestyle changes as they want him to succeed considering the investment made in him.
He is unlikely to start against Real Madrid but expect him to be used at some point in the game. With all eyes on Dembélé, the player will need to put in more effort in his performances if he wishes to get back in the good graces of the manager and of the fans.
Over on the Madrid side of the rivalry, the story making the most headlines is the future of their manager, Julen Lopetegui.
Lopetegui became Real Madrid manager prior to World Cup in a move that ultimately ended in him being fired as Spain national team coach. It is fair to say that his time as Madrid manager has not gone how he would have expected.
Under Lopetegui, the club finds themselves seventh in La Liga, four points behind Barcelona and Espanyol. Real Madrid has already lost three games this season with their latest being a 2-1 loss to Levante at home. In addition, against Levante the merengues broke a dubious scoring record going 481 minutes without scoring a goal. It was their worst scoring drought since the 1984-85 season.
The talk in the Madrid press for a while has been the impending dismissal of Lopetegui. It seems to be a matter of when rather than if. Lopetegui has been bombarded with questions about his future, giving standard answers every time. Things have gotten so bad that there were reports that he was going to be given the axe after the loss to Levante.
But he’s managed to make it this far but a loss against Barcelona would see Madrid falling further in the table, potentially being seven points back this early in the season. Apparently, Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez, already has potential suitors in mind when he decides to cut the cord with Lopetegui.
On the pitch, the question for Real Madrid is who is going to score the goals? Their scoring drought is well-documented and despite being blasé about Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure, it’s evident they miss his goals. Despite starting well, Karim Benzema has once again struggled finding the back of the net. They have tried playing Mariano up front but that has not yielded results either. They will also be without Dani Carvajal and their depth is already thin as it is.
Both teams go into this match with a lot of questions. The injury to Lionel Messi threw a wrench in Barcelona’s plans and added a bit of a respite for Julen Lopetegui and Real Madrid. At the same time, criticism will pout even more if they lose to a Messi-less Barcelona.
Even without the two best players in the last decade, there will be plenty to talk about in the aftermath of el clasico. For one side, it may cement their standings at the top of La Liga while for the other, it may be the final nail in the coffin for their manager and a full-blown crisis in the Casa Blanca.