In 118 years of history they have disputed 243 classics and it is impossible to find two of the same (follow the game live on AS.com). Except for this one, the first without an audience, a paradigm of this silent football but prolonged by a huge noise on both shores. There is a sporting storm in Madrid after two relatively surprise defeats, because the unocerism Courtois's previous and overtime already foreshadowed something like this. Y there is an institutional storm at Barça, with a vote of no confidence announced, with a salary cut not yet agreed (at least it was known this Friday which club and players will sit at the table) and with an interview with Piqué with answers more typical of a candidate for the presidency than from a Benzema marker.
The game is enriched, starting, by the return of Sergio Ramos and Jordi Alba. Ramos has played 46 games against Barça, 44 of them with the Madrid shirt, more than anyone else. So, after 16 years, you know the cloth well. His team had never felt so orphaned with his absences. He was injured against Cádiz and did not play against Shakhtar as a precaution to be today, where it is essential, morally and footballingly. The return of Sunrise because there is no confidence in his replacement (Junior Firpo) and Dest has had to eat the brown of playing as a changed band in the two games in which the Catalan was absent.
The undefeated Zidane
The pandemic takes away from Barça the field factor, which has lost relevance in recent times. More since the arrival of Zidane, undefeated in his five visits to Camp Nou (two wins and three draws), a respectable achievement because the The number of consecutive games without defeat for Madrid on the Barça field has not exceeded four. The white eleven seems to be sung this time. In the last two duels against Barça, the Frenchman repeated the drawing and midfield: Valverde, Casemiro, Kroos and Isco. With the Malaga out of focus, Modric will enter, substitute on those two occasions, and Benzema and Vinicius will form the attack.
The Brazilian and Ansu Fati anticipate the future of the Classic. The former has already played four with a very good tone. He scored a goal in the last, with the help from Piqué. The second only had two little moments, 7 and 9 minutes in last year's duels. Now from the bib to the statistics he is identified as a footballer of the first team. He has played all the games, although none complete. Both are the top scorers for their teams this season (four goals from the azulgrana and three from the madridista), although Koeman seems more convinced of the need for Ansu than Zidane for Vinicius, a substitute in half the games of the course without much justification.
The Griezmann case
At Barça there are more certainties than doubts. Jordi Alba will play if Koeman sees him fit, Busquets and De Jong have an advantage over Pjanic and Griezmann is the unknown of the day. Koeman is caught between his reputation and his appalling arithmetic: two goals in the last 22 games, no participation in the team's goals this season and only three shots. In the previous seven seasons upon arrival at Barça did not drop below ten goals per league and in his five years at Atlético lThe hairpin went from 15 to 22. In the last championship it was nine. His alignment conditions the disposition of the rest of the attack, in which Messi, Ansu and Coutinho are safe. The fourth man could be Pedri.
The statistics is less revealing than sensations, slightly favorable to Barça, although both already add a draw and a defeat. The Barça chews more his goals (forty seconds and 12 passes, to 17 and four for Madrid), he is less productive from set pieces (13% of his goals, compared to 33% for his rival) and scores more with fewer shots. He also wins the pass fight (658-633) and curiously loses possession (56% -61%), portrait of the new times. Benzema and Messi They are the two players who shoot the most in LaLiga, although with less success than in previous courses. Only one goal from each. That of the Argentine, from a penalty. Madrid have scored 26 goals in 43 games, but none in the last five. In any case, it is expected that one and the other have the last word of this classic vacuum packed.