:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58081323/832848072.jpg.0.jpg)
In the wonderful world of club football there are few games that mean more to a group of people then Real Madrid playing Barcelona. For the first time in La Liga play this season, El Classico is here.
In this iteration of El Classico the game means much more in the scheme of things to one side then it does to the other side. Real Madrid are in a difficult situation when it comes to their current standing in La Liga. They’re currently 11 points behind their rivals, and playing them at home make this game a necessity for Los Blancos.
Anything less than three points would be a disappointment for Real and make things all the more difficult when it comes to their attempt at climbing back towards the top of the Spanish top flight.
When it comes to tactics both sides are looking like they’ll deploy a similar variation of a 4-4-2 system, at least on paper. Real Madrid are looking like they’ll play a 4-4-2 or some variation of it with Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema sitting up top. The iteration could come with Isco playing a more role where he has more freedom in the midfield behind the two attackers.
Sergio Ramos said it best when he said: "It's a really big game, no words can do it justice. It's a different sort of match. It's the most important one in world football, and given the points difference ahead of kick-off, we've got to win it to keep ourselves in the hunt in La Liga.”
This game holds with it massive implications for both sides. An El Classico is always fun, but a Classico that holds with it implications of this nature is all the more enjoyable.
Projected starting XI:
Real Madrid: Navas, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Casemiro, Kroos, Modrić Isco, Ronaldo, Benzema
Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Roberto, Pique, Vermaelen, Alba, Busquets, Paulinho, Iniesta, Rakitic, Messi, Suarez
HOW TO WATCH, STREAM EL CLASICO
Date: 12/23/2017
Time: 13:00 CET, 07:00am EST, 04:00 am Pacific.
Venue: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain.
Available TV: BeIN Sports (USA), Sky Sports Football (UK), Canal+ Partidazo (Spain).
Available Streaming: BeIN Sports (USA), Fubo.TV (EVERY Real Madrid game with a high-quality and legal stream).
Prediction: Real Madrid 2 (Ronaldo x2) - Barcelona 2 (Messi, Suarez)