El Clásico 2021 will feature goals but only losers
The highly anticipated clashes between Real Madrid and Barcelona are always games with huge pressure and bragging rights attached to the matches. In midweek, the hosts soundly beat Liverpool to be red hot favourites to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League yet again; in contrast, the visitors, already out of the competition, made full use of their game in hand in La Liga, edging past Real Valladolid to close the gap on leaders Atlético to a single point and a favourable goal difference. With a sizeable enough win, Zinedine Zidane's men could usurp their city rivals temporarily at the summit, whilst even a draw for Barça would see them at the helm for at least 24 hours. However, all indications point to a stalemate that will suit neither in the run-in. Read our preview here:
Nacho ideal situation
Zidane has numerous problems in defence to deal with ahead of the clash. Pacey French stopper Raphaël Varane tested positive for coronavirus mere hours ahead of their quarter final tie with the Reds, ruling him out of both that night and Saturday at the very least. Additionally, captain and talisman Sergio Ramos was already missing, and right-back Dani Carvajal is also a big doubt. Shorn of other options, the heart of the backline will be composed of Nacho and Éder Militão. While both are more than stop-gap options, they are relatively untried as a partnership, which is something that Barcelona will hope to exploit. Otherwise, the XI will be as close to full strength as possible, even with the second leg taking place just a few days afterwards. This means keeping Toni Kroos and Luka Modrić in midfield when in an ideal situation, they'd be rested.
In-Clement conditions
Meanwhile, don't be surprised to see Gerard Piqué declare himself fit for the biggest game of the league season to date. If that does come to pass, he'll be on the right of a central defensive trio, and will be largely tasked with keeping Vinícius Júnior quiet. The Brazilian forward will be high in confidence after his brace against Liverpool, whilst Karim Benzema will look to best Clement Lenglet, who has had a relatively poor campaign under Ronald Koeman. His lack of discipline has been his undoing in both senses on several occasions, and he cannot afford to be dragged out of position by the fluid movement and long-range penetrative passing Real have at their disposal. Elsewhere, the inconsistent Ousmane Dembélé will have been boosted by his winner on Monday, but has still to fully convince fans of his credentials.
Ronald weaselling
With both teams understrength in defence, there should be scope for goals. Real would probably be slight favourites ordinarily, but the ageing legs they have in midfield in addition to their absentees makes the fixture very finely poised. The prize on offer is the psychological advantage of being top as the games continue to dwindle, but the dilemma for Zidane is how full-pelt his charges are capable of going three times in a single week. 888sport are offering surprisingly long odds of 3.70 for a draw.
