RSSEl Clasico Related Content
In the aftermath of Barca and Madrid’s UCL exit: Spanish football and El Clasico
Total disillusion for Spanish club football?
Between Atletico Madrid and Valencia, one team will advance to meet Sporting Lisbon or Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League final. For the sake of Spanish football from a patriotic Spaniard’s point of view, it is believed that the pressure is on Bilbao to assure that the cup will go to Spain whatever happens in Bucharest on May 9.
As things stand, Sporting Lisbon are in a good position to leave Portugal’s Iberian neighbours empty handed in Europe this year. Going into Thursday night’s encounter in San Mames, the Lions lead 2-1 from their first-leg win against Copa del Rey finalists Athletic Bilbao.
Cristiano Ronaldo's world-class Real Madrid silence Barcelona in El Clasico 2012
Real Madrid have taken a gigantic step towards clinching the 2011/12 La Liga title. Jose Mourinho’s men are now 7 points ahead of the Blaugrana. Before the match, Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola and midfield maestro Xavi Hernandez described El Clasico as a must-win battle.
“If they [Madrid] win or draw, La Liga is theirs,” Pep conceded at the pre-match press conference.
“We can only win and if not, they will be champions. I would then congratulate them and prepare for next year,” he added.
Echoing his manager’s thoughts, Xavi reportedly told the media: “If Barça win we will continue to have options in this league and if we lose, well, Madrid will have wrapped it up, so it is all or nothing.”
Watch Barcelona vs Real Madrid on TV - The Definitive Guide for tv channel listings for El Clasico 2012
El Clasico 2012 is taking place on April 21st at 2:00PM EST. It is likely to be the most watched league football match of modern times with an estimated 400 million viewers expected to tune in around the world.
The stakes have never been higher for a La Liga Clasico match as both teams have almost everything on the line in this Spanish derby, not to mention their pride.
Barcelona have the most to lose without a positive result, which for them can only be a home win. The Catalan side have made it a habit recenty by finding ways to beat the Madrid rivals no matter where the venue, but at home at the Camp Nou, Barça reign supreme.
For Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho, a draw will not hurt their La Liga title ambition. The Portuguese tactician has surely made his calculations that maintaining a 4 point lead will do just fine with only 4 fixtures remaining in the league.
Both Spanish giants come from mid-week European Champions League semi-finals defeats. Barcelona lost to Chelsea 1-0 in London, whereas Madrid lost to Bayern Munich 2-1 away from home. Both Barca and Madrid will be looking to return to winning ways on Saturday.
El Clasico 2012: Do or die for Real Madrid’s Jose Mourinho and Barcelona
Jose Mourinho: Flop against Barcelona
Almost everyone can associate greatness, expertise, charisma and creativity to Jose Mourinho and his work as a professional coach, but only few can deny the fact that he has not very often exhibited his sharpest characteristics in Barcelona’s Camp Nou.
An unbroken curse
Mourinho first met Barcelona at the Camp Nou in February 2005, when Maxi Lopez and Samuel Eto’o humbled his Chelsea side 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16. There were improvements in March 2006 when the Portuguese manager – then still in London – saw his boys come from a goal down to draw 1-1 in the Round of 16.
Portuguese rooting for José Mourinho and company in El Clasico
The Portuguese press and TV reserve plenty of space and airtime for foreign football, naturally focusing on teams and leagues that contain a strong Portuguese connection. And with the likes of Luis Figo, Rui Costa, Fernando Couto, Paulo Sousa, Deco, Ricardo Carvalho, Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani gracing Europe’s top clubs in the last decade and a half, it is hardly surprising that your average Portuguese football fan is extremely knowledgeable about the top leagues all over the old continent.
The above list is just a select sample of how this small nation has produced a disproportionate number of some of the game’s greatest players in recent times. Nowadays, hot on the heels of this production line, has come another phenomenon. José Mourinho is the standard bearer as Portuguese coaches have followed in the footsteps of their compatriots on the pitch to land some of the world’s top club management jobs.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Blancos poised to break 107-goal record in El Clasico
Last weekend, Real Madrid beat Sporting Gijon 3-1 with goals from Gonzalo Higuain, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. With the latter’s strike, Los Blancos eventually equalled the all-time goal tally set in a single La Liga season. Ahead of Saturday’s big showdown against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, Real Madrid face the prospect of breaking the record by hitting 108 goals.
“This team's attitude both on and off the pitch is fantastic and that's why we've earned these numbers. We've sometimes failed to do more due to things that are beyond our control,” Real Madrid assistant manager Aitor Karanka remarked during El Clasico’s pre-match press conference on Friday.
El Clasico has no extra importance – Real Madrid assistant coach Aitor Karanka
The assistant manager insists that El Clasico on April 21 is like any other fixture in La Liga. Real Madrid possess a 4-point advantage over second-placed Barcelona. Exploring the various score line possibiliite, Karanka told the press conference:“I believe the three points at stake are important because there fewer games left in the competition. Whatever the score, four games will remain and we'll continue to work as naturally as we've been doing so far.”
Real Madrid will fight to beat the odds at the Camp Nou stadium where coach Jose Mourinho has never clinched victory. Defeat to Barcelona would create an ever tight finish in the league title race. Aitor Karanka continued:
Barcelona vs Real Madrid Preview
Team News
The good news for neutrals is that there are no major absences. For Real Madrid, defender Ricardo Carvalho is a doubt. Meanwhile, Eric Abidal, David Villa and Andreu Fontas are the three men on Barcelona’s list of excluded players. Fresh reports indicate that Alexis Sanchez is doubtful but the former Udinese striker may shake off his injury worries in time to play in El Clasico.
Match analysis - What is at stake
Los Blancos and the Catalans will have their best players fit. However, we may not witness a game of high tension as both teams have scores to settle in the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Live soccer TV schedule info on mega week with European semis & El Clasico
UEFA Champions League semis on April 17 and April 18, 2012
The stage in midweek belongs to Europe’s best teams. In the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea and Bayern Munich will battle for tickets to the Grand Finale on May 19.
At the Allianz Arena in Munich, German contenders Bayern will host La Liga leaders Real Madrid. Both teams have not conquered Europe during the last 10 years. This season presents a chance for them to try their luck again.
In 2010, Bayern Munich came second-best behind Internazionale, then coached by Jose Mourinho. The latter has given his team the edge over Bayern ahead of this crucial UEFA Champions League semi-final tie.
La Liga’s El Clásico on ESPN Deportes and ESPN3
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ESPN’s lead English-language soccer commentator Ian Darke to call first El Clásico match for ESPN3 with former Premier League player Robbie Mustoe as analyst
Continuing its extensive multiplatform coverage of the 2011-2012 season of Spain’s La Liga, ESPN Deportes travels to Spain to provide live television, radio and online coverage of El Clásico - Barcelona vs. Real Madrid, Saturday, April 21 at 2:00 p.m. ET from the Camp Nou in Barcelona. In addition to the live broadcast on ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes Radio, ESPN3 will offer live commentary in English from ESPN studios in London by Ian Darke, who will call his first Clásico match for an ESPN network, alongside Robbie Mustoe.
Chelsea vs Barcelona and Mourinho’s prediction: Are Barca sure Champions League finalists?
It was just after Real Madrid’s qualification into the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League that Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho began what appeared to be mind games with rival Pep Guardiola, as he downgraded Chelsea’s status by overly elevating the Catalans prior to their meeting at the Stamford Bridge.
“It could be Bayern or Barcelona,” the BBC quoted him saying. “I just don't think it will be Real Madrid v Chelsea and we know why.”
"Barcelona aren't the favourites, they are super-favourites."
Such a statement – especially from a football personality as experienced as Jose Mourinho – cannot be instantly substantiated. One can even question the level of sincerity behind this statement.
Exaggeration of opinion? Perhaps, but it is easier to believe that the Real Madrid manager was simply trying to make one or several points implicitly.
Leaders Real Madrid could lose La Liga title to steady champions Barcelona
Inconsistency has become an apparent problem for Los Blancos in the final stages of this season. Back in March, Malaga travelled to the Santiago Bernabeu to steal a point in dramatic fashion. Then, Villarreal benefited from controversial decisions to draw 1-1 at the El Madrigal.
These rather poor results reduced Real Madrid's 10-point advantage at the top of the table to 6 points.
On Sunday night, for the third time in their last five league matches, Real Madrid dropped points. They played out a nervous goalless draw at home to Valencia.
Now, the 10-point gap between Los Blancos and the Catalans is old news. Barca are currently within touching distance of La Liga’s summit.
El Clasico date changed from April 22 to Saturday, April 21 – report
Real Madrid FC also confirmed the change through a statement on their official website which read:
"Real Madrid will face Barcelona at the Nou Camp on Saturday, April 21 at 20:00 in the 35th round of the season."
The decision to reschedule El Clasico is due to the timing of the UEFA Champions League's semi-final fixtures. Barcelona have to face Chelsea on April 18 and April 24 while Real Madrid will meet Bayern Munich on April 17 and April 25.
As a result it seems more convenient to have El Clasico on April 21 and not on April 22. Meanwhile, the race for the prestigious La Liga trophy continues in Spain.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid Report
A couple of glorious opportunities fell to Higuain but the Argentine failed to take them. Barcelona finally punished Pipita and team mates through late first-half goals from Pedro and Dani Alves. At the break, it seemed like Real Madrid had suddenly lost all hopes of reaching the Copa del Rey semifinals.However, their approach in the second period showed the brave side of Los Blancos. Kaka and Higuain went off for Callejon and Benzema before Cristiano Ronaldo pulled a goal back in the 68th minute. Substitute Benzema did what Higuain couldn’t do as he leveled the match at 2-2.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid & 8 hot quotes that could put Messi & co on fire
Three-time footballer of the year Lionel Messi is being targeted in a way or another ahead of Wednesday’s huge Clasico a the Camp Nou. What effect will these pre-match quotes have on Messi and the rest of Barcelona’s invincible squad?
1) Karim Benzema to AS
According to Benzema, the mighty Catalans of Barcelona have a weakness. What is it?
“We have to be much more efficient when trying to score goals from set pieces because I think that is one of the parts of their game which is more fragile. In dog fights, they are not strong, we must seize the opportunity.”
Where to watch Barcelona vs Real Madrid on TV - Copa del Rey - January 25, 2012
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This article is for the January 18 ad January 25th Clasico Matches from the Copa Del Rey.
Visit Barcelona vs Real...
It is in fact their dominance in games that have given them the confidence to rise without limit among other titans in world football. Generally, teams that profit from higher possession have more chances of creating opportunities and controlling games at their will. This is a verity Pep Guardiola based his tactics on, right from the start of his spell at the club; and it has surely helped him develop a commanding side out of the Blaugrana. With the addition of accuracy and boldness to his recipe, Barcelona’s style has turned into an enjoyable type that many other clubs attempt to replicate. What will happen at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night? Will Barcelona suffer an upset despite holding a vital 2-1 advantage ahead of the second leg? Will Real Madrid exit the Copa del Rey in the quarterfinals as most expect? Kick-off time for Barcelona vs Real Madrid is on Wednesday, January 25 at 16:00 EST and 21:00 GMT. Live streaming and TV schedule info for El Clasico can be found on the match page.Barcelona vs Real Madrid Preview
What the public must remember is that a 1-0 victory won’t be enough for Real Madrid to progress into the semifinals of the Spanish cup. The competition’s titleholders have to turn the tables around as they carry the wounds of a 2-1 deficit.
Barcelona are favorites to finish off Real Madrid. The Camp Nou stadium is where they lifted the 2011 Spanish Supercopa trophy last summer. It is also where they recorded a historic and humiliating 5-0 triumph over Real Madrid en route to the 2010/11 Spanish La Liga title.
The Catalans virtually have one foot in the semifinals of the Copa del Rey. Many even think that Barca are already through to the next stage; they view the second leg on Wednesday night as nothing but a 90-minute period for Barcelona to make their semifinal qualification official.
Barcelona’s possession game: Statistical facts before El Clasico 2012
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Relying on dominance through possessionEl Clasico 2012: Why Barcelona could attempt to play negative football for once
Negative football is what Jose Mourinho used against Barcelona at the Camp Nou during his time at Inter Milan. Although Pep Guardiola made reasonable efforts to exhibit his expertise in attacking football, he happened to be denied by the defensive walls of the former Chelsea manager.
Upset with the technique used by the Special One, Los Cules heavily condemned the Milanese - indirectly vowing never to adopt this style. Despite the tensions around the issue of tactics however, Mourinho boldly went on to use his stabbing negative method again in a few other encounters he had with Barcelona later on. But never did he do so without receiving affronts from his anti-fans.
Well, inversely, negative football is what could save Barca on Wednesday night in El Clasico of the Copa del Rey quarter-finals. Yet probably, no Blaugrana would agree on this point - neither on first thought, nor on second thought.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid – Copa del Rey quarterfinal second leg: 5 things to predict
The latest Clasico produced a Cristiano Ronaldo goal, a comeback from Barcelona, a rare match winner from Eric Abidal and surprisingly, no red card. There actually should have been at least one sending off following Pepe’s stomp on Lionel Messi’s hand. However, controversy is most often the rule of the game when Barcelona and Real Madrid clash.