Topics: El Clasico, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Lionel Messi, Camp Nou.
There has been a few inconsistencies in the performance of Catalans this season and, now, a bigger test beckons.

It's El Clasico once again and the stakes in this encounter needs no exaggerating as it has been the case since time immemorial. While both Barcelona and Real Madrid have not exactly had a suave ride this season, grit, character and zeal is usually the prime determinant in the clash of these two.

Focusing the lens on the camp of the Catalans, optimism will not exactly be over the horizon with their form in recent weeks posing serious questions. While the quest to clinch the treble is well and truly going as planned, the upcoming test with Los Blancos, perhaps, has come a tad early for Valverde's men who have hit a few snags in recent games.

In retrospect, Barca saw an experiment against Sevilla in the first-leg of the Copa del Rey quarter-final tie backfiring. In the absence of the talismanic Lionel Messi, the Blaugrana fell to a 2-0 defeat at the Estadio Pizjuan Ramon Sanchez.

Nonetheless, led by the Argentine, the Catalans staged a fierce mêlée to seal the upcoming clash with Real Madrid via an emphatic 6-1 victory at the Camp Nou. The following match-up with a struggling Valencia in La Liga should have been a ride in the park but ended up in a 2-2 draw.

In candor, it was not a lucid reflection of the game as Barca had to fight back from a two-goal disadvantage. On a positive note, the journey to the last four stage of the Copa del Rey has served up a streak of inspiring results for the men in red and blue.

They first secured a 5-1 aggregate victory over Cultural Leonesa in the Round of 32, registered a 4-2 aggregate win over Levante in the Last 16 stage and finally saw off Sevilla via a 6-3 aggregate scoreline.

On paper, Barcelona looks like the eventual victors in the upcoming clash with Los Blancos. The Blaugrana's chances are even boosted more by the fact that Lionel Messi has been included in the squad list for the game. The 31-year-old striker, who has registered 29 goals and 17 assists this season, was initially believed to be a doubt for the Clasico after he picked up an injury in the draw with Valencia.

Relatively, Real Madrid will also fancy its chances as a considerable number of its injured stars have recovered. The Merengues approach the clash on the back of a five-game winning streak and, with the likes of Vinicius Jr and Karim Benzema spearheading the resurgence, a favorable result at Camp Nou will not be much surprising.

However, while Real Madrid is slowly reshaping the identity of the club by giving youth its head in latter days, Barcelona's experience may prove vital in the blockbuster clash. To many, the Messi and Suarez-factors are enough to inspire a win for the host.

And with the Bernabeu outfit's last two Copa del Rey trips to the Camp Nou ending in defeats, history is evidently on the side of Barca.