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REAL Madrid : Real Madrid-Barcelona preview

The Clasico fades to White

/noticias.info/ The “match of the year”, the “match of the century”, the “great clash”, however you want to call it, is upon us. This is the stuff that the Real Madrid-Barcelona meetings are made of, a match-up that will be played out at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium on Sunday (today) at 9 pm Central European Time (Realmadrid.com live), and will be seen by millions of viewers worldwide. Initially, the stakes and the match are pretty even, although it is Capello's men who are in more dire need of the points tonight. It would allow them to cut back the current 5-point difference with the leaders of La Liga.
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If we look closely at the current state of form of both teams, it is probably Fabio Capello's boys who are looking a tad better, at least from the point of view of excitement and self-confidence. The Real Madrid and Barcelona Champions League games this mid-week were a morale boost for the Whites, with their appalling victory in Romania, and a blow for the red-and-blues, who lost to Chelsea in London.

Preparing the Clasico
Their respective states of mind has been evident throughout the week at the training ground, where they prepared for the clash. The 4 training sessions of the squad of Real since Wednesday cast players with a smile on their faces and with great physical exertion and tactical intensity. Capello has instilled upon the team the importance of the clash, wrking different technical and tactical aspects such as pressurising, speed, possession, and nimble ball movement.

The optimum result against Steaua has convinced the Italian manager to place his trust in the same starting lineup that stepped out onto the Bucharest Ghencea Stadium pitch. These eleven players, plus Reyes, back after his recovery, have been the mainstay of the training sessions this week: Casillas on goal; Helguera will keep his position in the centre of the defence next to Cannavaro; Sergio Ramos as right back and Roberto Carlos as left back; Diarra and Emerson as roaming midfielders, with Guti and Raúl as playmakers and ball feeders of attacking spearheads Robinho -best man in Bucharest- and Van Nistelrooy -who scored after magnificent chip.

Raul, the Clasico veteran
Raúl González, the Merengue captain, is the clash's “veteran” with 23 appearances all in all in the Clasico against Barça. He is also the current top scorer, with 9 strikes. The presence of Real Madrid's captain is an added asset and a reliable safeguard for his team, especially if we take into account that he has recovered his scoring edge during these last few matches.

Ronaldo and Etoo absent
The “9's” of both teams will be absent for different reasons. Former Real Madrid player Etoo is recovering from a serious injury that will keep him 5 to 6 months on dry dock. Equally important is the absence of Ronaldo for the Madridistas. The truth is the Whites have no “luck” with the decisions of the disciplinary committee, who have decided against Real Madrid's appeal asking for a cautionary suspension of Ronaldo's one-game ban. It would be useless to list here the number of times that other teams were given favourable treatment when they had to face Real Madrid. No surprises here!

Fabio Capello & Frank Rijkaard
No direct clashes yet, so this will mark Fabio Capello's and Frank Rijkaard's first confrontation in a field of play… although from the sidelines. Both coincided in the same team, back when the Italian coached Milan, including one of their key foreign players, the Dutchman. Prior clash stats at the Bernabéu have a single precedent for the Italian coach from which to draw information. Fabio Capello signed a clear 2-0 victory over Barcelona during the home game in 1996-97. Meanwhile, Rijkaard has been three times at the Bernabéu as manager of the Catalan team. His stats look good, with two victories and one defeat.

A long history
To speak of the Clasico Clásico is to speak of the “match of the year par excellence.” Few clashes receive the media coverage and general public interest and attention that a Real Madrid-Barcelona or vice versa receive. We would go so far as saying that it might be the number 1 worldwide clash in football. This even includes many people who generally don't follow football at all, but it's not strange when two of the world's most prominent and best clubs face each other.

These clashes go back to the beginning of the 20th century, but in the League they began with the League's first edition, the 1928-29 season, especifically on 9 May 1929 in Madrid. Then, the visiting team won 1-0. Still, the statistics are clearly in favour of the Whites: 76 matches in home turf, 48 local victories, 14 draws, and 14 Catalan upsets. Likewise, the goal difference is very favourable for Real Madrid, with 161 v 80 in the goals scored/goals conceded department.

Pérez Burrrul, an experienced referee
With 158 games officiated in the Primera Liga, Pérez Burrull is one of the First Division's most experienced referees. He has officiated 24 games with Real Madrid as a contender, with the team of the capital of Spain winning 9, drawing 9, and losing 6. This will be his fourth time umpiring a Clasico, with 2 victories for Barça and a draw. notas_de_prensa_archivo