Madrid’s Derby Has Pride at Stake; Barcelona Have the Table to Defend
Real Madrid FC need a response after defeat at Sevilla, while Barcelona arrive second, eight league matches unbeaten and still chasing the summit.
The Spanish First Division derby is on Friday, when Barcelona visit Real Madrid FC; Madrid need to make the occasion count after their latest setback. Barcelona have 75 points, sit second and are five points behind the leaders only if the table says so? No: the notebook gives no leaders’ points, so the gap is best left unclaimed.
The Catalans have not lost in eight league games, though their points haul has run well ahead of the chances created. In a derby, arithmetic is a poor substitute for nerve, but it tells us why the visitors can play with the greater assurance.
The last meeting was on 8 December, when Danijel Sekulić scored Barcelona’s only goal in a 1-0 win. There is history on both sides of this week’s old-boy reunion: Ronaldinho returns to face the club where he scored 79 league goals in 157 league games, while José comes back to Madrid after 250 games and 123 goals there. In my day, these return trips were never just another fixture; the old loyalties always sharpened the noise.
Madrid are expected to use a 4-3-3, with Chancel Beya and Sergio Barroso among the men in form. Madrid will be without regular centre-backs Nicolas Cazaux and Albert Gomis; Barcelona are missing Sergio Mouriño.