Today, all football fans' eyes were focused on the Spanish "Primera" championship. Late in the evening in Catalonia, there will be a clash of two giants - "Barcelona" will face Madrid's "Real" club.
"Barcelona" - Madrid's "Real"
Tournament: "Primera" (28th round)
Stadium: "Camp Nou" (Barcelona)
Referee: Mateu Lahoz
Date and time: 2015-03-22, 22:00
This match was eagerly anticipated after the first "El Clasico". Under Luis Enrique's guidance, Barcelona's players in excellent form promise to counter the struggling Madrid "Real" footballers.
Position in the "Primera" championship
The situation in the league table changed just after two rounds. Carlo Ancelotti's "white" team had been leading the Spanish championship for a long time, with a solid points advantage over their closest opponents.
However, since January, the struggling "Real" club lost 5 points in two "Primera" matches in March and dropped down in the standings.
"Barca" took advantage of this and climbed to the first place in the championship. Currently, the Catalans have a one-point advantage and a victory at "Camp Nou" stadium would greatly increase the chances of the Spanish vice-champions to regain the "Primera" gold.
In case of a defeat for the Barcelona city team, the race for the first place in Spain would stay intense. The leaders should also pay attention to two other teams - "Valencia" and Madrid's "Atletico". After wins in the 28th round, both teams reduced their gap from the leaders and a tough match is likely at "Camp Nou" stadium.
Teams' form
In the beginning of this season, L. Enrique's players encountered difficulties and experts thought that Barcelona could end the season without trophies. However, since the New Year, the Catalans started to show excellent form, especially the MSN trio - Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar.
In all "Barca" "Primera" matches since the beginning of 2015, the Catalans have achieved nine wins and only suffered two defeats.
Meanwhile, the season took a different turn for Madrid's "Real" team - the UEFA Champions League winners until 2015 showed impressive form and managed to win 22 matches in a row.
However, after the New Year, both "Real" and their attacking trio went silent. The capital team won eight matches, suffered three defeats, and played one draw against "Villarreal".
Due to the uncertain performance of the "white" team, injuries might be to blame as "Real" had to compete without Sergio Ramos, Luka Modric, Fabio Coentrao, and the injured James Rodriguez. Experts also note that the BBC trio (Benzema, Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo) is also responsible for the poor performance, as they only scored 14 goals since the New Year, while Lionel Messi scored 17 times during the same period.
History between the teams
This "El Clasico" in the Spanish championship today will be the 170th one. "Real" has more wins in the "Primera" championship (71 victories), while "Barca" has achieved 66 wins. The remaining 32 matches between the two giants ended in a draw.
In the scored goals between the eternal rivals from Madrid, "Real" has scored 277 times, while "Barcelona" has netted 266 goals. Additionally, the statistics in "Primera" show that "Real" has achieved more wins both at home and away than "Blaugrana".
It is worth noting that considering all competitions and the "El Clasico" matches, "Barca" also trails behind Madrid. In total, there have been 229 official games between these clubs in history, with "Real" winning 92 times, while "Barca" won 88.
Last five matches between them:
Real Madrid 3 - 1 Barcelona (2014)
Barcelona 1 - 2 Real Madrid (2014)
Real Madrid 3 - 4 Barcelona (2014)
Barcelona 2 - 1 Real Madrid (2013)
Real Madrid 2 - 1 Barcelona (2013)
Aivaras Katutis
