There is a four-point gap between the two sides. While Saturday’s visitors remain unbeaten with Claudio Bravo yet to concede, Los Blancos have been scoring goals for fun. As the home crowd at the Santiago Bernabeu aims to enjoy El Clasico, we look at five Real Madrid players who will have no right to flop against Luis Enrique’s powerful men.
1) Iker Casillas – Perfection and a clean sheet needed
Every match is a battle for the veteran goalkeeper who, for almost two years now, is in a bizarre situation. First, it was ex-Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho who demoted him from his number one position. Current manager Carlo Ancelotti restored Casillas’ status but then, it was the fans who booed him for performing poorly at the beginning of this season.
For every wrong move he does, the 33-year-old goalie comes under scrutiny. Still, he has the trust of his manager and La Decima to boast of. Competition against summer signing Keylor Navas is non-existent. Casillas’ fight is directly between him and Madridistas. He is under pressure to keep Real Madrid’s net safe from harm in El Clasico, this Saturday as Lionel Messi looks forward to breaking Zarra’s all-time goalscoring record in La Liga.
2) Cristiano Ronaldo – Obliged to continue his hot goalscoring streak
Scoring wins you games. Even if Real Madrid put up a brave performance in defence, the team will need its attacking line to be effective. Cristiano Ronaldo has been in blistering form, despite encountering problems with his knee a few times already.
He has scored as many goals (15) as Messi and Neymar combined. But the dominating praises in the press could ironically turn into criticism and jeers if CR7 fails to make an impact on Saturday, in the comfort of his home, the Bernabeu.
3) Benzema – Tasked to be laborious and connect with CR7 perfectly
He may not be too prolific, but his contributions are vital. Karim Benzema is the kind of unselfish striker who is ready to pass the ball to Ronaldo when Los Blancos counter attack.
However, Benzema has had many bad days, missing very easy opportunities to score even against the smallest opponents. Real Madrid fans will be hoping for the best from the Frenchman on Saturday. After all, he enters the game full of confidence after scoring twice at Anfield against Liverpool in midweek.
The former Lyon striker has scored a number of goals in El Clasico. He may increase his little tally of three goals in the 2014/15 La Liga campaign.
4) Isco – An enormous chance for him to become a regular starter
The 22-year-old has been patient. When he first joined Real Madrid in 2013, he made an immediate impact with goals. However, Carlo Ancelotti was not pleased with Isco’s stubbornness which disrupted Real Madrid’s formation and visibly annoyed Cristiano Ronaldo and company.
As a result, the bench became Isco’s best friend. Opting against quitting the Santiago Bernabeu, the young Spaniard improved his game and ended his debut season with 53 appearances (most of them as a substitute) and 11 goals.
This season, he is on his way to achieving bigger things. With Gareth Bale unfit and Angel di Maria gone, Isco could be given a bigger role than James Rodriguez against Barcelona. While Modric and Toni Kroos will be tasked to hold the midfield, Isco will have to put in play his pace and trickery to push the game forward and multiply chances for Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema like he did against Liverpool.
5) Varane – The rock of Real Madrid’s defence against MSN (Messi, Suarez, Neymar)
How do you stop Lionel Messi? One name: Raphael Varane. The defender, who signed a six-year contract in September to remain at the Santiago Bernabeu until 2020, is destined to become a French legend in future. He made a name for himself in his Clasico debut. That was back in 2013 in the Copa del Rey thanks to his solid performance at the back and his decisiveness in front of goal.
Can Raphael Varane do it all over again? The answer will have to be a big ‘YES’ if Real Madrid want to find a way to contain not just Messi but Neymar, Suarez and any of Barcelona’s secret weapons.
