Barça and Madrid open a new era of Classics
A Camp Nou with full capacity will experience a Classic of uncertainties
BARCELONA, 23 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The first Clásico of the 2021/22 season lands this Sunday at a Camp Nou that may be full for the first time since the arrival of the pandemic and that will open a new era of Clásicos, without Leo Messi from blaugrana, and at a certain moment uncertainty for both blaugranas and whites.
Neither Messi nor Sergio Ramos nor the brightest stars of the moment will be in the green of the Camp Nou, but a Clásico is still a Clásico and the three points at stake go further, because whoever wins will be ahead of the eternal rival in LaLiga and can say that it opens the new era, that of the ‘new normal’ in a pandemic, with victory.
And perhaps it is time to change your sights and point towards Ansu Fati and Vini Jr, the ones called to lead Barça and Madrid in the coming campaigns. But neither one nor the other stick to a single player and perhaps, on the contrary, it is time to recover the Barça-Madrid, and vice versa, without focusing on just two players.
What depends on the partner and Blaugrana fan is to fill a Camp Nou that, since it can open to one hundred percent of its capacity, has been half empty. Even so, Barça has managed to link for the first time this season two consecutive victories ane Valencia (3-1) and Dinamo Kiev (1-0), in the League and ‘Champions’ respectively.
Barça is looking for a second consecutive victory in LaLiga, the third in the tutol count of competitions, to continue breathing that pure air of renewal in that balloon that Gerard Piqué inflated in the ‘Champions’, with his winning goal against Dinamo, and previously Ansu Fati in League.
After four Clásicos without a ‘culer’ victory, there is a desire, and many, in Can Barça to overcome the eternal rival. Since 2019, with 0-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu, the Blaugranas have not won. The balance of the last five Clásicos is from that victory for Barça, a draw and three victories for Real Madrid, including last year at the Camp Nou (1-3), just a year ago.
The situation is different now. Real Madrid arrives at the appointment with two points more than Barça in the table. Two points more than a Barça that seemed lost, with Ronald Koeman in the throes of dismissal, and without playing well, letting that famous ‘Barça DNA’ escape that lives in paper and audiovisual archives. Still, only two points.
That equals this Classic, which it did seem that Madrid would arrive as a slight favorite, but with a Camp Nou that can now balance that scale. Madrid started the season much better compared to Barça, but things are even and with calmer waters in Barcelona, or so it seems.
But Real Madrid also gained strength in Europe for this Classic, which annihilated Shakhtar (0-5) with a double from a Vini Jr. who arrives very connected to this game in which, whether he wants it or not, he will have many lights on. As much as finally the ‘boss’ of the white attack, Karim Benzema, may be in the starting eleven by leaving behind some annoyances.
In fact, there will be no last minute casualties. If Benzema is recovered from a blow to the instep, Eden Hazard is also on the list and Dani Carvajal is back. At Barça, Jordi Alba, also touched after the duel against Dinamo, is on the list and aims to start.
Thus, the casualties are known in advance – Araujo, Dembélé, Braithwaite and Pedri, at Barça, and Bale, Ceballos, Jovic and Isco, at Madrid. Eric Garcia returns to Barça, suspended against Dynamo Kiev.
DATASHEET.
–POSSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.
FC BARCELONA: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Piqué, Eric García, Jordi Alba; Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Gavi; Dest, Memphis Depay and Ansu Fati.
REAL MADRID: Courtois; Nacho, Éder Militao, Alaba, Ferland Mendy; Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric; Valverde, Benzema and Vini Jr.
– REFEREE: Sánchez Martínez (C. Murciano)
–STADIO: Camp Nou.
–TIME: 16.15 / Movistar LaLiga.