It will be a return to the Mestalla this weekend for Real Madrid as they take on Valencia in a La Liga match. Three days ago was the last time Mourinho and co visited Valencia's ground and coincidentally, they defeated Barcelona to win the Copa del Rey in a dramatic match that saw Cristiano Ronaldo clinch the winner during extra time.
Nevertheless, tomorrow's occasion does sound like a gigantic clash but the shape of the La Liga table and the prospects of Champions League matches could possible dampen the level of intensity ahead of this clash. The La Liga seems more like a lost battle for Los Blancos as they trail Barca by eight points with only six more matches remaining.
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.
Winning in France in the first leg will give Los Blancos a huge advantage in the ongoing round, as they could still rely on the Away Goals rule—in the case where things turn out to be complicated at the Bernabeu Stadium in the return leg, next month. Real Madrid have not been lucky in the Champions League’s Last 16 in the past few years, crushing out at this stage of the competition over and over again.
The striker had picked up bruises on his ankle and on his knee and was eventually marked as doubtful for the DFB Eleven’s upcoming fixture. However, Coach Joachim Lowe always remained positive about Oezil’s situation as the player expressed his optimism as well to Kicker, stating:
At the Santiago Bernabeu, when the team isn’t performing, you shouldn’t expect supporters to get behind you like it’s the case at Manchester United or Barcelona. Fact: Los Blancos have some of their own fans booing them when the level of performances in a match is low.