Bengaluru: Six points separates Real Madrid and Barcelona on the table. In terms of points-gap, it could potentially be a light-year. As the El Clasico looms, both sides have a different vibe.
Real, seeking their first league title in five years, have the chance to not only increase the gap but also go up on head-to-head and potentially end the title race as early as December.
A win for Barcelona, struggling to find an identity this season, against Real on Saturday, would not only end the Galacticos’ 31-game unbeaten run but also could be the result that changes the tide.
There is no hiding the implications riding on the match and former Barcelona and Liverpool midfielder Luis Garcia knows exactly what is at stake. “I don’t know (who is favourite) but we have a fantastic game. Real Madrid are in fantastic shape and Barcelona will want to win this game very badly because they don’t want to lose ground in the title race,” said Garcia during a telephonic chat with this newspaper.
“There are still a lot of games to play but this is a very good opportunity for Real Madrid to put Barcelona nine points behind,” admitted Garcia.
While Barcelona have moved on from their purity of possession approach to add more direct and counter-attacking style to their arsenal, Real have slowly evolved a more expansive game-style, while retaining the directness. A mutual movement towards each others’ favoured philosophy.
‘Approach will be key’
While one can argue on such tactical nuances, Garcia believes that this game will be won and lost on how the teams approach it.
“I think it will be interesting to see how they will approach the game. I don’t think Barcelona have changed that much in terms of playing. They have another way of playing. It depends on the game they are playing, sometimes they go more counterattack with five forward.
“Real is same way. Depending on who they play they can play differently. This is going to be a different game because they have to win and that’s most important,” said the Spaniard, who is in the country along with Federic Kanoute as part of the El Clasico screening being hosted by La Liga in New Delhi and Mumbai.
While the two giants grab the lion’s share of eyeballs in the league, fuelling the misconception that La Liga is a two or three-horse race with Atletico Madrid’s resurgence, the performance of Sevilla, Real Sociadad and Villarreal this season have proved otherwise.
“The competition is stronger. Real Madrid and Barcelona have to work hard to win the games. The days of 5-0, 6-0 wins that we used to see aren’t there anymore. It’s very nice for the supporters because earlier nobody could challenge for the trophy but now it’s different,” remarked the former Liverpool man.
