With Ernesto Valverde having sealed a La Liga and Copa del Rey double, and Zinedine Zidane plotting a historic third straight Champions League triumph, both managers will be content heading into the latest instalment of El Clasico.
Barcelona‘s Valverde is attempting to create his own bit of history as his side are four games away from completing an unbeaten season, starting with Sunday’s clash.
Zidane will no doubt relish the chance of ending that dream, giving Real Madrid something to talk about at the end of a disappointing league campaign.
Here’s a look at the key decisions facing each manager.
TIME TO UNLEASH BALE?
Gareth Bale has been marginalised this season but with Isco out and Marco Asensio putting in a disappointing performance against Bayern Munich in midweek, the stage is set for the Welshman to return.
Matching up against Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba could suit him perfectly, as the Spaniard’s propensity to attack will leave space down the right flank for Bale to run into.
Bale’s greatest moment as a Madrid player came against Barcelona, with that Copa del Rey final goal in 2014, and Sunday is a chance for an encore. Does Zidane trust him?
COUTINHO TO BENEFIT FROM MADRID’S MESSI FOCUS
From one former Premier League player to another. Philippe Coutinho is likely to get his first taste of this rivalry at the Camp Nou, and he’ll be motivated to get his first win against Madrid, having lost in three previous attempts with Liverpool and Espanyol.
His ability to slip the lines will be crucial to Barcelona’s attack, which has looked slow and short of ideas other than “give Lionel Messi the ball” since their 3-0 win over Madrid in December. Coutinho will benefit from the extra attention Madrid will pay Messi, giving him the chance to strut his stuff on the biggest stage.
🇧🇷 Ahead of his first #ElClásico, watch how @Phil_Coutinho gets match ready! pic.twitter.com/4ki1mwbF0W
— FC Barcelona 🏆🏆 (@FCBarcelona) May 4, 2018
ZIDANE’S KOVACIC CONUNDRUM
Speaking of the extra focus Messi will get, it’ll be interesting to see if Zidane opts for the same strategy as he did in December, deploying Mateo Kovacic to shadow the Barcelona playmaker.
It was a strategy that did partly neutralise Messi, with his influence only growing once Barcelona scored the opener in the second half and Madrid subsequently went down to 10 men. The fault in the tactic was exposed by that goal, with Ivan Rakitic afforded too much space as Madrid focused on Messi. Will the opening hour of that game influence Zidane more, or what happened after?
Just clocked Kovačić’s birthday is on El Clasico. Barca should give him a guard of honour to pay respect to the GOAT.
— Ryan. (@Rygista) April 27, 2018
ROBERTO OR SEMEDO AGAINST RONALDO?
Other than midfield, right-back has been the source for Barcelona’s greatest selection dilemmas this season, with Sergio Roberto and Nelson Semedo both performing capably in the role when called upon.
Roberto had an excellent game at the Bernabeu, grabbing an assist when he set up his side’s opening goal. But Madrid will undoubtedly target him as a potential weakness considering he will be matched up against Ronaldo.
Is this game better suited for Semedo? The Portuguese full-back would do a better job defensively against his national-team captain, who will be determined to have an impact on this fixture.
I’d start Semedo. Roberto deserves a spot in the midfield. Enough of make shift right backs. https://t.co/9gHUkewYbj
— BarcAddicts (@BarcAddicts) May 5, 2018
