El Clasico: April 21, 2012

'El Clasico' between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid never needs to by hyped up. There is always enough intrigue to keep even the most fair weather fans interested in these match ups. And fans of the beautiful game are no doubt in for a treat when the two Spanish titans face each other this Saturday.

Coming off of disappointing losses midweek in Champions League competition, Barça and Madrid are poised for a decisive, possibly title deciding, La Liga encounter.

Bayern Munich and Real Madrid faced off in the first leg of their semifinal at Allianz Arena on Tuesday. Los Blancos lost the match in the 89th minute when Bayern's Mario Gomez netted the game winning goal in dramatic fashion. Bayern was Real's fist truly top-class opponent thus far in the knock out stages of Champions League competition. Madrid defeated CSKA Moscow and cruised past APOEL in the round of 16 and quarter finals respectively. The loss against Bayern has got to be somewhat dispiriting and worrisome for Mourinho's side.
Bayern Munich v. Real Madrid Highlights:

Barcelona come into El Clasico after a tough loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Drogba's goal, unrelenting defending by Chelsea, and impeccable goal tending by Petr Cech were enough to give Chelsea the victory. Barça dominated possession, as they always do, and out shot Chelsea 24 to 6, holding Chelsea to no shots on goal in the second half entirely. A lack of ruthlessness in front of the net ultimately prevented Barça from taking full advantage of their several goal scoring opportunities.
Chelsea v. Barcelona Highlights:


Real Madrid find themselves atop the La Liga standings coming into El Clasico with only five more matches to go. If Real Madrid fail to get a result this Saturday at the Camp Nou, it would be safe to call the diminishing of their substantial La Liga point cushion a massive choke job. Just weeks ago, Madridista's were calling La Liga a wrap as Los Blancos held a 10 point lead over second place Barcelona. Fast forward to now, and Jose Mourinho's men have seen their advantage reduced to just four points.

I think this is a pivotal match for both teams in deciding the future La Liga champion, however, I feel that Barcelona need this win more desperately than do Los Blancos. If Madrid loses this weekend, they will still hold a 1 point advantage over Barcelona moving forward. But if Barcelona loses they will see Madrid increase their lead to 7 points, which would be devastating for the Catalan side. 

Predictions? Well, there's no point in hiding it, I AM THE BIGGEST BARCELONA FAN.

So, I've got Barça beating Real this Saturday. Even if Mourinho does implement his 11 defender style of play, I think Pep and his boys will succeed with their stingy possession game. If history is any indicator of what's to come in this weekends match up, Barcelona will come out victorious, considering how well the Catalan side has played under Pep Guardiola when facing Real Madrid the past few seasons. Barcelona are unbeaten in their last seven league matches against los Merengues, having won six and tied once.

What about you guys? Who ya got in this weekends El Clasico? Will Madrid be able to get it together after dropping so many points the past few weeks? Will Barcelona really be able to make up the 10 point deficit they faced just weeks ago?