Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Real Madrid | La Liga MD35 | OneFootball

Real Madrid and Barcelona face off at the Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday night as part of match day 35 of La Liga – the weekend that could potentially end the title race.

Los Blancos were firmly in the race to compete for La Liga, but their performances after the international break saw them fall significantly behind Barcelona on the points table.

With 11 points between them and just four games to go, there does not appear to be much hope for Alvaro Arbeloa and Co. What they will look to do, however, is fight until the end.

The Catalans enter the game on the back of five straight wins while Real Madrid step in having won just two of their last seven games across all competitions.

Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Real Madrid.

Chaos in the dressing room

There is no more apt place to begin a conversation about Real Madrid’s approach to El Clasico than the politics and turmoil inside the dressing room.

Regardless of how vehemently the dressing room speak out to hide the news or to insist that it will not affect their performance against Barcelona, there is simply no way that it does not impact the team’s mentality ahead of the big game.

Arbeloa’s men are keen on securing a victory vs Barcelona. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

A sense of cohesion, unity, and togetherness is crucial for big games that require the team to function as a unit, and knowing that the differences between players are at an all-time high will create serious hurdles in Real Madrid’s ability to function together.

Further, there is now a clear divide between the manager Alvaro Arbeloa and a major part of the dressing room who do not respect the coach.

With so many rumours of the appointment of the next manager, it remains unclear how diligently Real Madrid are willing to listen to the under-fire manager. Without a plan and with their egos in their head, the team will likely get nowhere.

Personnel crisis in midfield

Barcelona enter El Clasico without Lamine Yamal which comes as a massive blow for them. Further, Raphinha is just returning from injury and is unlikely to start.

Real Madrid, however, are not without their own set of problems and their primary crisis lies in midfield.

The recent physical altercation between Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni left the former injured with a traumatic brain injury and unavailable for El Clasico, meaning that the captain is set to miss the game.

Arda Guler’s season-ending injury weeks ago only compounds the trouble in that respect, given that he has been one of the few bright sparks in the position for the team this season. Dani Ceballos, further, is also unavailable.

Arbeloa, thus, has his hands tied at the moment in midfield with Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni the only guaranteed starters.

The third midfield position must be filled by either the out-of-form Eduardo Camavinga or the young academy talent Thiago Pitarch whose rise has not pleased the Real Madrid hierarchy.

Which of the two players Arbeloa hopes to start on the night will play a crucial role in deciding the result. Pitarch is the superior option, but Arbeloa must be ready to go against Florentino Perez and Co.’s wishes to make that selection.

Avoiding an embarrassment

Never in the history of El Clasico has the La Liga title been decided in a direct match-up between Barcelona and Real Madrid. That, however, can change tomorrow.

Real Madrid are under pressure to deliver. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

The team’s win over Espanyol ensured the title race is alive for another week, and Real Madrid’s only hope of extending it further is by winning tonight against Hansi Flick’s men. 

As matters stand, Barcelona sit on 88 points after 34 games, and Real Madrid trail by 11 points as they sit on 77 points with as many games played.

With just three games to go after the Clasico tonight, Barcelona need just a point over Real Madrid to be crowned champions. 

While it might seem inevitable that Barcelona are crowned champions, Real Madrid will just want to avoid the situation of being on the losing end at the Spotify Camp Nou on the same night that Barcelona win the league title by downing them directly.

Further, Flick’s men are currently on course to finish the season with 100 points in what would be a stunning record. Real Madrid, needless to say, hold the best chance of preventing that by stealing three points tomorrow night.