Historic is certainly the name for El Clasico's between Barcelona and Real Madrid and tonight's match represents a chance for both clubs to create more significant history which will provide a psychological boost for the remainder of the season. Real Madrid will be on a buoyant mood after finally putting an end to Barcelona's total dominance for the past six weeks with a draw last weekend.
Meanwhile, Barcelona will not be under any sort of pressure considering how they dominated proceedings in the draw against Los Blancos. Probably only Mourinho's superlative defensive tactics was the only thing that stopped them from clinching a victory. Live Soccer TV discussed about how the Catalans can overcome Madrid's newly found tactic HERE and to be frank, several factors are already beginning to show that the Blaugranas are pure favorites ahead of tonight's encounter at the Mestalla.
Raul Albiol's Suspension And Mesut Oezil's Impressive Showings
Two different factors that could come together to cause a massive boost for Barcelona. Albiol's suspension would mean that Madrid will need to pull back Pepe into the center of defence to play alongside the industrious Ricardo Carvalho. Pepe was literally a speed bump to all Barca's attacking efforts as he stood like a brick ball in front of Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
With Raul Albiol set to miss this encounter after being sent off last weekend, it is looking increasingly likely that Pepe will be converted back into his regular position at the heart of defence. However, there is an option for Mourinho to use Sergio Ramos as an emergency centre-back with Arbeloa filling in on the right.
Per contra, the impressive showings of Mesut Oezil has now probably squashed that option as well with the German set to be included in the starting line-up after his illustrious performance coming off the bench for Los Blancos.
The absence of Pepe from Madrid's midfield could indirectly be disastrous to their chances and Real Madrid will very well be masterminding their own downfall if the above rumor does take place.
Cristiano Ronaldo's Knack Of Not Performing When It All Matters
If Lionel Messi is the darling of Barcelona, Cristiano Ronaldo is probably the heartbeat of Real Madrid. So much has been said about how Jose Mourinho's arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu has triggered an improvement in the current set-up at Madrid but 74 goals in 81 appearances for Los Blancos hardly denies his lionization to the club.
But as Live Soccer TV proved HERE, Cristiano Ronaldo has a serious problem of under-performing at the biggest stage. To collaborate that with the fact that tonight's clash is a massive cup final just easily proves why we rated him as the Man To Watch ahead of today's encounter.
However, Cristiano Ronaldo did break his goal duct against the Blaugranas last weekend- something that consequently helped Madrid end their 'Guardiola' curse for once. Therefore, tonight will be a huge and long night for the former Ballon d'Or winner and if Real Madrid are destined for glory, a huge chunk of it will have to come from the influential Portuguese Wizard.
The Mental State And The Level Of Confidence In The Barcelona Camp
Possession of the ball is simply one of the cliche's in Barca's dictionary. How many times have we seem them rip teams apart by simply passing the ball around with much composure and class. Definitive stats collected from El Clasico 1 last weekend clearly showed how they dominated Madrid all over the pitch.
And in a Cup final like tonight's encounter, extra-time and penalties are always a key aspect to be reminded of prior to the game. Do not doubt us when we say that the Catalans will be better prepared both mentally and physically for all those possibilities.
As Mourinho as always stated, this current project at Real Madrid is a long-term one and while there has been some imminent team displays from them, the fact remains that they have yet to gel as one complete team. A fact that largely distances Barcelona from them.
The Catalans have been in situations like this before and most importantly, they have all been TOGETHER in circumstances like this where extra-time could be possible by all means. Assuming that tonight will be another same day where they control the dynamics of the match, Madrid's only alternative will be to depend on counter-attacks. IF the game goes into extra-time, then nobody can deny that Guardiola's men will have the direct upper hand. What else can you expect from a team that has tirelessly defended with their life for 90 minutes.
Therefore, the Special One must be careful to make sure that his side make the most out of any odd chances they get because believes us when we say that Los Blancos will never want to see it go into extra-time and penalties.
The 2011 Copa del Rey final will be covered LIVE on Live Soccer TV. Check the Barcelona vs Real Madrid match page for live streaming TV info, live commentary, video highlights and more. Catch All The Live Updates And News Regarding El Clasico With Live Soccer TV Here
