Real Madrid C.F. vs FC Barcelona (LaLiga)
Estadio Santiago Bernabeau, Madrid, Spain
Sunday, April 23rd, 2017    2:45PM EST    beIN SPORTS | fuboTV

Last week’s fixture list was loaded with marquee matches as the Champions League and Europa League had the spot light from Tuesday through Thursday, while the weekends attention was on the Derby della Madonnina, and Manchester United vs Chelsea.  If you though last week was wondrous, this week will be magisterial. Thanks to the decisive second legs of the European competitions taking place Tuesday through Thursday, and El Clasico Sunday afternoon, this will be a delightful week of football.  As El Clasico is passionately known as the biggest rivalry in club football, this week, I delve into the significance of the match from a LaLiga perspective, provide key performers that are to make an impact, and reveal my LSB match prediction.

LaLiga Standings

With just six matchdays left to be played for Barcelona and seven for Real Madrid, LaLiga appears to be just a two horse race to the title.  Thanks to a severe storm that rumbled through Galacia Spain, damaging the Balaidos, Celta Vigo’s stadium, Barcelona lost a club game. Currently, Los Blancos sit atop the table with 75 points, with eternal rivals La Blaugrana in second with 72 points.  After that, there’s a sizable cliff and then its Atletico Madrid in third, with 65 points.  So, as the season is nearing its end, each and every point matters, especially for Barcelona.  This is a must win, if there ever was one, for La Azulgrana. If they win, then Barca is level on points with Madrid, and possess the two-legged head-to-head tiebreaker.  In short, if Barcelona was able to win their remaining league fixtures, and Madrid loses one of its remaining matches, then La Blaugrana would win the title.  However, if Real Madrid were to simply draw, then Los Blancos would then have to lose two more matches, and Barca would have to win all of its remaining games.  Lastly, if Los Merengeas beat Barca, then the fat lady will have sung, and the title winning ceremony might as well take place post match.

Key Performers

When its the Galacticos squaring off against FCB, there’s stars galore to chose from.  However, all eyes are on Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo first and foremost.  They’re the two best players of our generation, and arguably of all-time.  As such, both men are sure put on a stellar show of footballing class.  With Barcelona’s Messi, he will have your jaw drop by way of pulling off mind-boggling passes in spaces that no one watching could even see.  Messi will explode on dazzling runs, leaving defenders looking foolish, as he strolls by toward goal.  And lastly, La Pulga will produce magisterial wonder through his golden left leg as he’ll stroke the ball into the back of Real’s net, as he’s done more times than any other player. 

As for Cristiano, he will steamroll forwarded on net, as is his trademark.  He’ll use his lethal right leg and wicked swiveling head to blast the ball past an overmatched Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. And lastly, he’ll provide assisting play for the likes of Karim Benzima, Isco, or Alvaro Morata, as he’s begun to do more and more this campaign.

LSB Prediction

As aforementioned, it’s a must win for Barcelona.  By the time gameday rolls around, it’s likely that La Blaugrana will have been knocked out of the Champions League, leaving a LaLiga/Copa del Rey double left to play for.  Thus, I fully expect a spirited start to the match from the Messi led squad, as they’ll create several chances, with La Pulga capitalizing on one.  But as the match drags into the final half-hour, Barca will be heavy-legged after exerting so much energy from the mid-week’s mountain climb of a match against Juve, resulting in La Azulgrana being a step slow here and there, ultimately creating space for Ronaldo to put the dagger into Barca’s 2016-17 season.  1-1 Draw

Bonus LSB Champions League Quarterfinal Predictions

Leicester City FC 1-1 Club Atletico de Madrid (Cub Atletico de Madrid 2-1 on aggregate)
Real Madrid C.F. 3-1 FC Bayern Munchen (Real Madrid C.F. 5-2 on aggregate)
AS Monaco FC 1-3 BVB 09 Dortmund (BVB 09 Dortmund 5-4 on aggregate)
FC Barcelona 2-1 Juventus FC (Juventus FC 4-2 on aggregate)