© EuroFootball.com
And Madrid are heading into a fierce battle - on Saturday, the first "El Clasico" of this season will take place, probably surpassing the importance of many other matches of these teams.
Spanish football championship Madrid "Real" - "Barcelona" December 10, 23.00 (Lithuanian time) Stadium: "Santiago Bernabeu", Madrid Referee: David Fernandez Borbalan TV: Live on "Sport1"
Probable starting lineups:
"Real": Iker Casillas; Alvaro Arbeloa, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Xabi Alonso, Lassana Diarra, Sami Khedira; Angel Di Maria, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema;
"Barcelona": Victor Valdes; Eric Abidal, Javier Mascherano, Gerard Pique, Daniel Alves; Sergio Busquets; Xavi, Iniesta; Messi, Alexis Sanchez, Cesc Fabregas;
Related: *[link="http://eurofootball.com/index.php?page=news&id=25637"]Will "Real" sweep away Barcelona club from their path?[/link] *[link="http://eurofootball.com/index.php?page=news&id=25647"]"El Clasico". Numbers duel[/link]
It is interesting that Guardiola shared his thoughts at a press conference before the match, but "Real" coach Jose Mourinho refused to attend and sent his assistant.
"Real" lead the national championship, ahead of the Catalans by three points and with one game in hand. The capital footballers won 12 out of 14 first matches of the Spanish championship, and have already won 15 consecutive games in all competitions.
"Of course, we need victories more because those who lag behind in the standings feel more pressure," said Guardiola.
"They are stronger than last year because they know each other better, have spent more time together and understand the coach's requirements better. We will have to defend well, be quick in transitioning from defense to offense, and pay attention to ball movement. It won't be easy, as "Real" plays very intensively."
And he added: "Regardless of whether we choose to defend with three or four players, the result will be determined by details, such as whether we can prevent dangerous passes from the wings. This will not change despite our tactical scheme."
"Real" scored a whopping 49 goals in 14 rounds, and assistant coach Aitor Karanka confirmed that attacking football will not be abandoned.
"Of course, this is not the same duel as the others," he said. "However, regardless of the result of these matches, we will not change our style. Whether we win by four, six or nine points, we will not change our principles. We fight for victory - we always do."
