BARCELONA, Spain – The last time that Real Madrid played Barcelona in the La Liga, it brushed aside a team struggling to find its way after being orphaned by Lionel Messi, AP reported.
Madrid’s 2-1 win in October ignited ugly scenes of furious Barcelona fans banging Ronald Koeman´s car as the beleaguered coach sped away from Camp Nou.
Fast forward to Sunday when Barcelona with Xavi Hernandez in charge of a new-look squad will head to the Santiago Bernabeu to test how far it has closed the gap with its fiercest rival.
Most “clasico” matches have an impact on the title race. Not so much this time. Madrid enjoys a comfortable lead at the top of the standings and only a major collapse will stop it from adding to its record 34 league titles.
With 10 games left, Madrid leads Sevilla by 10 points and both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid by 15.
The main question for coach Carlo Ancelotti is whether Karim Benzema will be available to play.
The France striker is doubtful after he injured his left leg in the final minutes of a 3-0 win at Mallorca on Monday. He had to leave the game after scoring twice to take his league-leading tally to 22 goals.
The 34-year-old Benzema is playing the best soccer of his long career this season. He has scored eight goals in his last five matches, including his second-half hat trick to oust Paris Saint-Germain from the Champions League last week.
If he is not fit to play, Madrid will turn to winger Vinicius Junior to lead its attack. His 14 league goals are second only to Benzema in the entire competition. Ancelotti could also play Marco Asensio as a “false nine” and perhaps give Federico Valverde a second straight start as a romping midfielder.
The Barcelona that Madrid faced at Camp Nou on Oct. 24 has undergone a profound overhaul. In that loss, Ansu Fati, Memphis Depay and Sergiñno Dest started as Barcelona´s front three and Philippe Coutinho and Sergio Aguero came off the bench as substitutes.
Now, thanks an impressive effort by the club to bring in new players in the January transfer window, Barcelona´s attack features newcomers Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and Adama Traore. And while Coutinho and Aguero are no longer on the team, 38-year-old Dani Alves has returned to play at right back.
Playmaker Pedri Gonzalez and winger Ousmane Dembele, who were injured when they played in October, are also providing a spark to Barcelona´s attack.
“(Barcelona) has undergone a big change since Xavi arrived and has improved its play and is winning games easily by a big difference, so we will have to be careful,” Madrid’s Valverde told Cadena SER on Wednesday.
