REAL MADRID AND BARCELONA'S TEAM LINEUP
We bring you a preview of the pre-match preparations in quotes from the Catalans’ point of view. What do people think of Barcelona? What are they predicting concerning Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Psychologically, how do Pep Guardiola’s players regard the game?
1) Xavi – as quoted on Barcelona’s official website
The midfielder is naturally bold and hard to break in midfield. After experiencing so many unbelievable results against Real Madrid, Xavi’s desire to triumph still exists. The 2011 FIFA Ballon d’Or nominee has promised to give Los Blancos a tough time in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey.
“We'll play with our trademark style and philosophy, exciting, spectacular and looking for a goal – the more goals you score away from home, the better!”
Revised - Tuesday January 17, 2012 @ 23:39PM.
Global eyes will once again be on the two spanish giants as Real Madrid and FC Barcelona clash once again in the Quarter-Finals of the 2011-12 Copa del Rey.
The first of the two quarter-final legs takes place in Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 4:00PM (EST). FC Barcelona will be looking to redeem themselves after losing this competition to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final last year. They will also be looking to make a bold statement about their title aspirations since they find themselves 5 points behind Los Blancos in the La Liga championship.
This match comes at a critical time when Real Madrid and Barca are underpeforming as was proven this weekend by unconvincing displays by both teams. Jose Mourinho was able to overturn his side's title threatening 1-0 deficit in Mallorca late in the game whereas Pep Guardiola's men fought hard to overcome a 2-2 score late in their game against Real Betis, which happened to be the only goals conceded at the Camp Nou in the current La Liga competition this season. The Cules were able to return to business as usual at the Camp Nou by winning 4-2 later on in the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance in the latest Clasico was so appalling that many fans and pundits, non-Madridistas and Madridistas alike, suggested that the player gets benched in the next Barcelona meeting. However, this is very like not to happen. What every Real Madrid supporter can now hope is for Ronaldo to live up to expectations at the Bernabeu.
What else could we expect from El Clasico anyway? Only video highlights can best describe the heat of the match, in which both teams aimed for a famous victory.
Yes, both Real Madrid and Barcelona have their strengths and weaknesses. Thus, when it comes to naming the true favourites, it is largely a matter of management.
Certainly, trying to determine who has the best players only raises issues of personal taste. It is not wrong however to assess both teams’ positives and weight their advantages along with their expectations. This puts into question the form and aim of each key player in El Clasico.
All 22 active players on the field after the referee’s opening whistle will surely be ready to put on a good show for a million reasons. But then, each player will be having his challenges; and one could identify these challenges as the results of both teams’ close standards - which eventually increases the excitement ahead of El Clasico in the Spanish capital.
Sevilla and Valencia’s away games against Levante and Real Betis respectively will open La Liga’s weekend of action. However, it’s El Clasico that will put Matchday 15 on fire. Real Madrid vs Barcelona will kick-off at 22:00 CET, 21:00 GMT and 16:00 EST.
The match is sure to keep the public awake until the early hours of Sunday, at least. Two very different football philosophies will collide in the Spanish capital in a celebration of pure rivalry.
Barcelona have a great record in El Clasico and Pep Guardiola is yet to taste defeat against Los Blancos in La Liga. The Santiago Bernabeu is the ground where the Catalans recorded an emphatic 6-2 victory a couple of years ago. Barca faithful want the club to continue its dominance over Real Madrid.
Thankfully for the public, this titanic clash is coming at a right time. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona are fresh from a series of successive victories in all competitions.
Barcelona have played a game more than Real Madrid due to their FIFA World Club Cup schedule. Eventually, they will be level on points with Los Blancos should they claim victory at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday. 
Tuesday, May 3, 2011 - the Champions League semi-final second leg brings us another tense affair as the worlds biggest clubs face off for a chance to play in the Champions League Final.
All...
Madrid adopted a defensive approach in the early stages and Barcelona found it difficult to penetrate the Real backline.
This will be the third ‘El Clasico’ matchup inside of two weeks after a 1-1 La Liga draw in Madrid, and the Copa Del Rey Final that Madrid won 1-0 in extra time courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo was previously taunted by Barcelona fans for his inability to score against them. The Portuguese winger indeed had to break his goalless curse on 16 April 2011 at the Santiago Bernabeu through a penalty, which helped Real Madrid avoid a defeat against their archrivals for the first time since 2008.
It is a miracle that both Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola haven't had any pre-match 'war' yet prior to yesterday considering how 'irky' Mourinho can be at times. The 'Special One' has a reputation of dominating pre-match discussions and he finally showcased it to his Barcelona counterpart, Pep Guardiola.
While a huge chunk of the press conference was basically revealing his 'Albert Einstein' methods of motivating his players, he still managed to include some minor bit or sarcasm. Last week, Guardiola was left to rue Pedro's offside goal decision although the decision looked to be the correct one.
Nevertheless, Mourinho made comparisons with the 'Tom Henning Ovrebo' controversy in their Champions League defeat of Chelsea. To make things worse, he even reiterated the Van Persie sending off at the Nou Camp two months ago.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 will be marked in history books as the third Clasico of 2011 and the First of of two of the most anticipated Champions League Semi-Finals to take place.
Global...
Football as we know it today is a game full of unexpected surprises and magical moments. Nevertheless, the is never a way to escape their imminent truth that builds up football nowadays. And apparently, Barcelona's sheer dominance over Real Madrid is also a truth. When we say dominance, it doesn't have to necessarily be in terms of the result.
The Catalans are well-known for their grandiloquent brand of football that has seen them being touted as the best ever side in World Football. Sleek football combines with precision in passing has seem them bring massive devastation to opposition team on a regular basis.

Madrid narrowly edged past La Liga leaders on April 20 in the Copa del Rey 2011 final through a 1-0 victory on extra time. Cristiano Ronaldo was the scorer of Los Blancos’ winner, and the winger’s efforts just seemed to be enough to punish the 2009 Spanish Cup champions—who had wasted decent opportunities earlier on in the encounter. The Castellans were eventually rewarded with the trophy at the Mestalla Stadium, and that night marked the return of the Galacticos to glory, as...
5-0 was the score when Barcelona last met Real Madrid before the current Clasico marathon kicked-off. Well, Jose Mourinho was probably brought in to break their invisibility in the Champions League as well as crush Barca's dominance over the Spanish La Liga. But that defeat last November raised numerous doubts on whether Mourinho was indeed...
Real Madrid vs Barcelona, A Copy Of Inter vs Barca?
It was at this stage of the UEFA Champions League competition last season that Jose Mourinho guided Internazionale to an upset of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. A 3-1 victory at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium wounded the Catalans so deeply that even Gerard Pique’s goal at the Camp Nou couldn’t repair the damage.
A 1-0 victory was just not enough for the hosts in the return leg, as Jose Mourinho and the Nerazzurri hanged on to reach the final of the 2010 UEFA Champions League on a 3-2 aggregate score line. It’s a repeat of this achievement that Real Madrid want to experience this season. Can they clinch it? Looking at their size on paper, they certainly can. The question, rather, should be: WILL they clinch it?
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola gave his opinion on the issue of clashing 4 times against Jose Mourinho in the space of 17 days. The 40-years-old manager used to be on the winning side each time Barca met Real Madrid as a coach. But his remarkable record gradually came to an end.
First, he stumbled to a 1-1 draw in El Clasico on April 16. Pep Guardiola then tasted defeat 4 days later in the 2011 Copa del Rey final against Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid. During the upcoming days, Guardiola’s expertise against Los Blancos will again be put to the test.
It's time for UEFA Champions League football. Call this the European version of El Clasico!