We're just hours away from another episode of the greatest rivalry in football. It's Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi. The return of Luis Suárez. The story lines are countless for this game and that's what makes this game so unique in sports. Still, we take a look into a few things we can definitely expect from El Clásico:
1. Controversy
There are no rivalry games without at least a bit of controversy. Refs in Spain (or pretty much anywhere else) are not very good, so it's more than likely that several calls will be heavily questioned. These games, with all the pressure involved, the atmosphere, the eyes of the world on you and the yelling of players begging for a call, can easily overwhelm a person that isn't good doing his job in the first place. From a simple foul to a tough call on an offside, everything will be discussed for days.
2. Excuses
With controversy, there's place for excuses, and that goes to both teams. Whether it's the refs, the pitch (hi, Xavi!), the ball, the shoes, the noise, you name it. Teams will use a number of things to justify a bad result. We'll hear it all except for a "they beat us fair and square". That won't happen and honestly, it shouldn't, even if excuses from the Catalans can annoy us all.
3. Comparisons
It's Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi again. A lot of people will have a hard time agreeing with this but the Portuguese has been the best player in the world for the last couple years and the result of this game won't change that. Still, a lot of people will base their opinion on this game's score, especially if Barcelona wins.
Also, and beyond the biggest duel in this game, there will be the classic "who was the better signing? James or Suárez?". Those are annoying and don't mean anything so early in the season, but they'll be discussed. Remember when they said Song was better than Modric? Yeah. Expect some kind of similar "conclusions" after this game.
4. Goals. Lots of goals
Ronaldo, James Rodríguez, Isco and Karim Benzema. Messi, Neymar, Andres Iniesta and the guy that likes to bite people. These guys will score goals even if they don't want to. All of them are in great shape right now (except for Luis Suárez maybe), so the ingredients couldn't be better to put up a terrific show. Both teams also have beatable defences and it would be really shocking to see the game end with just a couple goals on the scoreboard.
5. "Breakout" performances
Yes, Ronaldo vs Messi is the biggest story for this game, no question about it. But there's always the unsung heroes and those that might steal the show.
The way Isco is playing it wouldn't surprise anyone if he becomes to player of the game and the key to beating Barcelona. It's not going to be easy, but an epic performance might help him keep his job as a starter. The job belongs to Bale right now, but a big game by Alarcón might change Ancelotti's mind. Other candidates include 'Chicharito' Hernández, who will probably see some minutes and, as effective as he is as a sub, he might deliver the game-winning goal. Also, James Rodríguez, who's been improving game after game, might prove the key to beating what has been so far a very solid Catalan defense.
For Barcelona, there's obviously Luis Suárez, who'll be making his debut with the Blaugranes. He's got the talent and the killer instinct to immediately have an impact in the game and become a headache for Real Madrid's defenders.
6. Mistakes
As good as the attackers on each team are, there are certainly some weak spots on each defense. For Real Madrid, we have Marcelo. He's a great option when he's on Barcelona's territory and his offensive contribution might work wonders for Los Blancos tomorrow, but he can be very scary as a defender, and not in a good way. To make it worse, set pieces are still torture for Real Madrid, and Iker Casillas simply isn't what he used to be.
On the other hand, there's Jordi Alba and Dani Alves. Neither is a terrific, disciplined defender and if they're pressured enough they can force several passes that might be intercepted by James and co. Luis Enrique's defense has been incredibly efficient so far in La Liga but their schedule hasn't been that tough. Paris Saint-Germain is the best team they've faced, and they gave up three goals in that game. For a much better analysis, check this breakdown by Mike Platania.
This also includes decisions from Ancelotti and Luis Enrique. Of course it's easy to kill them after a negative result, but starting certain players or using a certain formation might come back and bite them.
7. Bites
Ok, this is just a joke (sorta). Luis Suárez is returning after being banned during the World Cup for biting Giorgio Chiellini. The Uruguayan is a very aggressive and even wild player who, when focused, was really fun to watch (was because joining Barcelona pretty much ruined him for the rest of his life). He's very talented and has a unique killer instinct in the world second only to Cristiano's, but there are times when he just loses it (or suddenly gets incredibly hungry, who knows) that he decides to recreate his favourite scenes from The Walking Dead. Of course it would be incredibly shocking to see him do something that dumb ever again but 90 minutes against Pepe can drive anyone crazy.
This game can honestly go either way. Lots of random things can happen in games like this one, but Real Madrid looks to enjoy a better shape at this point, so hopefully it will translate into a victory for Los Merengues. I go with a hard fought 4-2 white win but I'd be happy even with a 1-0. Feel free to share your predictions in the comments section.