Classic is Real Madrid and avant-garde, Barcelona

In sixteen years of culé, Messi played 45 classics and only missed three due to injury. He scored 26 goals, gave 14 assists, he got shirtless at the Bernabéu, dismounted at the Camp Nou and scored more than any other footballer in a match that transcends the League, which is played for the world. In this first lawsuit, without the Argentine being there or waiting for him, the landscape changes (follow the game live on AS.com). Barça is caught by this Classic, the 246th, in the assembly period, in great numbers, without shaking the duel for the march of 10 and looking at the quarry more out of obligation than out of devotion. Koeman has had no choice but to be avant-garde with the youngest squad of Primera, whose census includes 14 footballers under 24 years of age. Ansu, Pedri or Gavi, with less than 20, are already fixed in the Selection. They were there, it just took courage to put them.

Time has treated Madrid better. He keeps his midfield from the glory years (Modric, Casemiro, Kroos) in good use and has found in Benzema’s wise veteran the perfect bridge to his next flag, Mbappé. Messi fled, there is no more relevant footballer in the championship than Benzema: leads the ranking of so many (nine) and assists (seven), participation in goal plays (17, 77% of his team’s) and shooting (33). His eleven goals in eleven games across all competitions are double his career average. Some numbers comparable to those of the best Messi and proof that the Frenchman is one of those oddities that football gives from time to time: playing better every year than the previous one after thirty. The hard core continues to drive Madrid, which will be the classic of the El Clásico.

The U23s

Despite everything, Barça and Madrid had better times. Now those of the irregularity run. Barça has moved little and in some cases badly (Luuk de Jong) in the market and well within the walls. Demerit of its managers and merit of Koeman, who He regularly employs Dest, Mingueza, Eric García, Araújo, Pedri, Gavi, Nico and Ansu, all under 23 years of age. He swears that in two years they will be much better and you have to believe him. Five can start today and perhaps they would have reached seven if Araújo and Pedri were not injured, very notable casualties. Ansu, who comes out of a very serious injury, has only been able to play five games, all incomplete, but it is, along with Memphis, another success for Koeman, Barça’s great threat.

The forecast is that the eleven will be very close to the match against Dynamo Kiev, with the return of Eric García, sanctioned in the Champions League, and Dest ahead of Sergi Roberto. Jordi Alba will rush to play (even infiltrated) because the band he shares with Ansu Fati is Barça’s great asset.

Benzema is the boss of the championship

Madrid also has its doubts. Benzema he spent two days in the gym for a blow in Kiev, but yesterday he trained normally. Above are safe he and Vinicius, starter in the last nine games. He has scored seven goals with just 17 shots to scare away his stuttering legend in the area. The third point has been dancing for two years. Only in this course have Lucas, Asensio, Bale, Hazard, Rodrygo and even Valverde passed through. Between these last two the square will walk. In favor of Rodrygo plays his performance in Kiev and the reinstatement of 4-3-3. In favor of Valverde, his greatest experience, his superior defensive capacity on the wing in which Barça concentrates almost all its fire and the fact that he did not play for a minute on Tuesday. Hazard is the third way. He comes off his thirteenth injury in two years, which has prevented him from making his debut in a Classic. At least this time it is in the emergency device.

Carvajal returns, another with a wide clinical history. If Ancelotti dared against Shakhtar with Mendy after five and a half months without playing, he could also do it with him, but it is unlikely. Nacho is the conservative option and Lucas Vázquez, who in that position was superb last year, is the daring one.

The occasion comes to Madrid with better numbers and better feelings, although they have only resulted in two points of advantage. The white team scores 2.6 points per game, the same average as in Ancelotti’s first two years, and in eleven games they have scored almost twice as many goals as Barça (29 to 15), with one set and two. handyman. He has also conceded two less, but defensively both have little to envy: they concede too much. Also its technicians walk in the red in the Classic. Ancelotti lost the two times he visited the Camp Nou, Koeman fell in his two duels against Madrid as a culé. On the other side is Alaba, who with Bayern played three times against Barça and beat him three times (15-2 on aggregate). Good precedents to debut in a Classic that will not fill the Camp Nou. Shadows of the pandemic remain.