el Clasico preview: Barcelona-Real Madrid prepare to battle for honors of best team in world

When Barcelona and Real Madrid meet, the football world stops to observe the internal plots of the two biggest clubs in the world intertwining on the global stage. But when the latest El Clasico gets underway on Sunday night, the narratives on either side of the divide will represent polar opposites.

La Liga’s top two have line-ups that feature highly in fantasy football teams across the globe, but one set of superstars will have proved more profitable in terms of points over the last few weeks.

It’s not often that a comfortable 2-0 win will have the victorious team’s supporters grumbling – but, then again, Real Madrid are no normal team. For now, we are led to believe, they are the one in ‘crisis’.

Struggling Levante were seen off with minimal fuss last weekend at the Santiago Bernabeu. But that wasn’t enough for the Los Blancos faithful, who expected their side to rack up four or five goals to atone for the failings of early March.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men were held at home to Villarreal on the opening day of the month before leaving Athletic Club’s San Mames with nothing. Real then came as close as they dared to being unceremoniously and inconceivably dumped out of the Champions League on their own turf, losing 4-3 to Schalke and squeezing through to the quarter-finals only by virtue of a 2-0 first leg win. Ancelotti mopped his brow in relief.

But the March wobble has seen Real ousted from top spot in La Liga, with Luis Enrique’s Barcelona – enjoying a run of 16 wins in 17 games in all competitions – replacing them at the summit. And, while he shrugs off questions about his job security, Ancelotti is still at risk in the hot seat.

It’s a vulnerability which is perplexing and ridiculous when considered. Under the Italian’s stewardship, Real Madrid lifted the Champions League trophy last year and it was only earlier this season when the club embarked on a record 22-match winning streak.

But, taken in context, almost nothing is unheard of in Madrid. A web search for ‘Real Madrid crisis’ racks up over 12.3 million results, after all.

The supporters are restless and the mass of attacking talent in the Real starting XI isn’t showing the cohesion it did in the first half of the campaign. Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and – most crucially – Cristiano Ronaldo are all searching for their form but rediscovering it is proving to be as difficult as finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.

Despite that, coming out on top against Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Sunday would be the perfect tonic. Not only would it give Real the bragging rights over their bitter rivals but three points would also send Los Blancos back to the top of the table.

Throw in the still distinct possibility of back-to-back Champions League titles and, by Monday morning, the notion of a crisis might be seen as just another hyperbole hidden in the depths of Google’s search results.

Want to play fantasy football and choose from La Liga’s best? Join Eurofantasyleague now.

Programming note: Soccer fans in the US, watch el Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid on Sunday, March 22 at 4PM ET on beIN SPORTS. If you don’t get beIN SPORTS, watch it live (and legally) via fuboTV for just $14.99/month for La Liga, Serie A, Ligue Un coverage and more. Watch DishWorld on your phone, computer, tablet or Roku. Plus, in addition to La Liga, Serie A and more, you’ll get Chelsea TV, Arsenal TV, Bayern Munich TV and more.

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NOTE TO FOOTBALL FANS IN THE UK:

If you live in England or the United Kingdom, the Barcelona vs. Real Madrid match will not be shown live on TV or online. But you can watch it live online via fuboTV. More details below:

OR, you can use VyprVPN on a free 3-day trial:

After signing up for a VPN and setting your server to a USA location, sign up for the free 7-day trial to fuboTV to watch the match.
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