A game that the world will stop to watch and a game with a lot on the line

This Sunday at the Bernabeu stadium in Madrid two of the world’s biggest teams clash in a match that’ll be watched by millions around the world for many things including star players, the occasion and the spectacle. There are also a lot of other things that make this Sunday’s game massive on and off the pitch and in this edition I’ll mention all of them.

Ronaldo vs Messi:  

Ok let’s start with this because it’s what most fans will be tuning in for. One of the many reasons this game will be watched is this fascinating player battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Ronaldo for Madrid and Messi for Barcelona has been the main attraction to this match for eight years since Ronaldo came to the Bernabeau. These two have been the best players in the last ten years and dominated the Ballon D’or since 2008. Ronaldo at 32 is still scoring vital goals for Madrid and has won everything for club and country (including the Euros for Portugal last year) and is arguably still at his best. Having become more of a finisher Ronaldo still finds the vital space to get into and get the important goals for Madrid. For Madrid Ronaldo is the spine and heart and soul of this side, leaving him out is unthinkable and makes people question your decision immediately. Ronaldo has been one of the best big game players for years, his presence scares defenders and his ability with feet, body and head makes him one of the best all round players we’ve ever seen and whether you like him or not you can’t underestimate his talent.

For Lionel Messi the last twelve months have been challenging not just for club but country. Messi is still a vital piece of Barcelona’s way and system but questions have been asked. Messi turns 30 this year and is now reaching the point of his career when he has to make the adaptation to his game Ronaldo has. Messi still has scored goals in big numbers this season but at times when Barca have struggled his impact on a game has been less than it used to be. He has also had a hard time for country as well with Argentina losing a second Copa America final in a row to Chile and in the aftermath supposedly retiring and the. U-turning on that decision to go for another World Cup but the campaign hasn’t gone well and now he faces a ban for the rest of the campaign after abusive language to the ref. For Messi this game is a chance to redeem himself and remind everyone of why he has been such a fantastic footballer for the last ten years.

Barcelona: A crazy season which can saved with this one game:  

For Barcelona this season hasn’t been their best and they’ll perhaps admit it. The Catalan team have been at times underwhelming this season and a shadow of their old selves. They have lost a lot this year and drawn more which put so much pressure on boss Luís Enrique that he’ll be leaving at the end of the season. Most people (fans/pundits/journalists) have pointed to some of the problems as being too reliant on the front three of Messi, Neymar and Suarez and being too reliant on Andreas Iniesta in midfield and the defence leaking too many goals and not properly replacing Dani Alves at right-back. Messi this (as I’ve already pointed out) hasn’t been on his absolute best this season, Neymar has been practically shifted out wide (despite being a striker) and has socred less. Suarez has not socred in the last six games which is surprising from a player of his stature. But with all of this criticism you can’t underestimate the firepower of this side and with them now out of the Champions League they only have the league to fight for which will be their inspiration to win this game. With all the criticism and being told they are finished by many supporters you wouldn’t be surprised If Barca completely wowed everyone again and played some their football of old and with this being their biggest game of the season the Catalans would want nothing more than to upset their rivals in their backyard.

Real Madrid: A solid team that is grinding out results: 

Under manager Zinedine Zidane Real Madrid have become a real solid unit this season and have gone from a team that would always go for the spectacular win to a team that now knows how to grind out results. It is intriguing how Madrid have worked and played this season with the team from the capital going all the way to January unbeaten and getting a lot of last minute results. Real Madrid have also found ways of finding other people to score goals other than Ronaldo which always helps a team pushing for the title. For Zidane who spent most of his career winning multiple trophies it was interesting how he would approach his first full season as manager having made no galactico signings people (including me) were asking questions as to whether he wanted to move the team forward. For the first few months of the season Madrid tied down key players such as Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale and Ronaldo to long term contracts which showed how much Zidane had faith In his squad. Another key thing for Madrid this season has been the extra striker in Alvaro Morata and midfielder ISCO. These two have scored countless goals to rescue Madrid when they needed it badly and yet still there is speculation about their futures. Even fringe players like James Rodriguez have still played well when called upon which shows the willingness of the players to work for Zidane and that has been vital this season. Real Madrid go into this game knowing that a win practically all but guarantees them the title (unless they capitulate massively) so for Madrid and Zidane they’ve got to keep their composure, knowing that it is their rivals who need a good performance. The extra good news for Madrid is that Gareth Bale who has had a few injury troubles this season is fit and available for this game so imagine he’ll be starting. Expect big players like Ronaldo and Benzema to play a big part along with Kroos, Modric and Casimeiro. Defence wise captain Sergio Ramos will lead the line (unless he gets red carded in this game again) in what will be a spicy encounter at the Bernabeu

Verdict: Real Madrid 4-2 Barcelona: 

When you think of this game you think of one thing goals. I’ve gone with this scoreline because the momentum right now you’d say is with Real Madrid and with their knack for having loads of goalscorers in the team you can see a goal coming from anywhere. I think Barcelona will be in the game but I just think that Real Madrid will have too much for them.