The usual suspects will be at it again in the El Classico showdown this Saturday pitting the best two team in the world currently i.e. FC Barcelona vs Read Madrid. Ever since Mourinho took the managerial helm at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu few would argue that the margin between his team and Barcelona has been shorted with every encounter although what remains constant and perhaps quite more worrying for Madristas is, the simple fact that, the Catalans have always managed to have an edge over their bitter arch rivals.
Mourinho insists that his team has nothing to lose even if they lose against Barcelona since they are not the defending champions. Theoretically this is true but practically its not. The primary reason why Fiorentina Perez, Real Madrid President, hired the Portuguese Tactician was to ensure the Catalan team would be unhinged from their current top position.
A victory for Mourinho will be more important than the title it self. Winning the La liga title and the reality of not being able to beat your arch rivals will not be the perfect picture that Mourinho would have fancied to be taken as he celebrates his first title in Spain soil.
As they all say in football, the table doesn’t lie, there is no doubt that the All Whites have been the better team all season however the fact is they are still below par when compared to Barcelona. At the top of La liga goal scoring chart there is a serious battle between Ronaldo and Messi who are both locked with 41 goals each. It’s hard to imagine that the two have rattled 116 goals in their opponents’ nets in all competition. Messi having an amazing 63 goals and Ronaldo 53.
Barcelona really need the three points in order to shorten the difference, at the top of the la liga table, to just one point and hope that in the few remaining games Real Madrid will drop points. Pep Guardiola, Barcelona Manager, firmly believes that the title is in Madrid’s hands to lose. Whether this is playing mind game or not Barcelona need to be at their best if they are to achieve their quest
Both teams are coming into this game with uncharacteristic losses during their mid week UEFA Champions League first leg semi final matches where the Catalan side lost against Chelsea while their Spanish Counter parts were beaten by Bayern Munich. The more wounded team is definitely Barcelona who despite dictating play against Chelsea they couldn’t get the crucial away goal.
As the countdown to 9:00pm East Africa time on Saturday gets heated up, fans world wide will silently hold their breath for 90 minutes as the clash of the titans takes centre stage.
