The title race might seem a bit very far from being close but Real Madrid will be desperate to salvage a very disappointing season at the Camp Nou when they come face to face with arguably the best team in the world Barcelona on Saturday.
For Real Madrid especially this match-up will be about confidence heading into the Champions League action later in the week, as that will be the only way Madrid can redeem their season before they face Wolfsburg in the Champions League.
- Here Are Some Five Facts About the El -Clasico
LONG HISTORY OF RIVALRY
Saturday’s Clasico will be the 230th competitive meeting between the teams in all competitions, with Real holding an overall 91-89 lead, while 48 games have been drawn as against the 90 matches win in competitive matches, while Barcelona leads in total matches with 109 wins to Real Madrid’s 96.
However, Barcalona have enjoyed considerably the better of recent league encounters, winning nine of the 13 La Liga fixtures between the sides since Pep Guardiola was appointed manager in 2008, including a home and away double last season.
ANOTHER EPISODE OF INDIVIDUAL RIVALRY
This year’s El Clasico will definitely be the battle of two talented individuals Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo who have constantly given flavor to the match. Lionel Messi has the most goals of any player in El Clásico history with 21 even though he failed to score in the previous encounter, these include two hat-tricks which is also a record, albeit shared with Madrid legend Ferenc Puskas.
He also holds the all-time record for assists with 13. Ronaldo has managed 15 goals in the fixture but holds the record for scoring in consecutive games, with seven goals over six straight matches. The Portuguese is also the only player to score in consecutive away El Clásico both times grabbing braces.
MANAGERIAL DEBUT
Zinedine Zidane makes his managerial debut at Camp Nou for an afternoon Clasico. Zidane has Played 11 times against Barcelona having won four, drawn four and lost three.
Zinedine Zidane’s sweetest Clasico victory came in the 2001/02 Champions League semi-finals, when he scored at the Nou Camp as Real clinched a 2-0 first-leg lead before helping the capital club hold their rivals to a 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu.
In all Zidane has scored three goals against Barcelona but with 10 points separating the teams in La Liga, Madrid would have to win to cut shot the lead of Barcelona which will hardly prevent them from winning another Spanish title.
CHANCES OF BOTH TEAMS
Barcelona are on a run of 39 games without defeat so you would expect the answer to be Barca, but because they have Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez all traveling back from South America on international duty the timing is not great for Luis Enrique.
A victory for Barcelona will be shouted from the rooftops as game number 40 without defeat. It will also be seen as Zidane failing a big test as Real coach. He passed the first one when he saw Madrid safely past Roma in the Champions League but this will be a timely reminder that Madrid still trail Barca domestically and it does not matter who they put in charge.
If Real Madrid win, confidence in the Spanish capital will be sky high. There will be talk of a new contract for Zizou and they will feel that the Champions League is there for the taking this season.
HISTORY OF VIEWERSHIP
El Clasico is generally the second most broadly watched local tie in soccer, with just the UEFA Champions League final alluring in more TV viewers.
The global television audience for Saturday’s game will be fascinating, with estimates placing the number of worldwide viewers between 400 and 500 million.
More than 400m individuals are assessed to have viewed Los Galacticos’ title-choosing win at the Nou Camp in April 2015, where 780 media experts from 31 distinct nations gave the worldwide scope of the diversion.
VIEWING INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, April 2, 2016
Time: 4:30 p.m GMT
TV Channel: beIN Sports USA, Sky Sports 2
Live Stream: beIN Sports Connect, SlingTV, FuboTV
5 Things You Need To Know About El- Classico April 2016
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