Barcelona taking on Real Madrid is always a big occasion – but Sunday’s El Clasico is set to be a momentous one even by those standards.
With Cristiano Ronaldo having moved to Juventus in the summer, this game was always going to be a marker for Madrid to gauge their progress after the departure of their club-record scorer.
However, Barca were rocked by an injury to Lionel Messi in last week’s 4-2 win over Sevilla, making this an interesting fixture for them as well. Though they won without their talisman in midweek against Inter Milan, and Madrid are struggling for form, this will be a tougher test for them in Messi’s absence.
Messi vs Ronaldo has been the biggest subplot to El Clasico for years, as each clash seemed like a referendum on the debate over which player was better.
Though that debate has never been settled, and may never be, the game billed as the biggest in club football will now be full of intrigue precisely because of both protagonists’ absence.
This is the first time since 2007 that a Madrid-Barcelona clash won’t feature either player, and how football has changed since then.
The last El Clasico without any of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi or Andres Iniesta in the matchday squads was so long ago that Patrick Kluivert scored Barcelona's goal.
— Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85) October 25, 2018
Apparently that was the last Clasico (December 2007) with neither of Messi and Ronaldo featuring. Feels like ages ago.
— Çetin Cem Yılmaz (@cetincem) October 20, 2018
(Real won that one with a Baptista goal, by the way) pic.twitter.com/ApLqZT1acF
Both players had great records in this blockbuster clash, making it impossible to overestimate the significance of their absence.
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But while Barcelona have weathered the loss of their best player relatively well over the years, Madrid are showing just how bereft they are without Ronaldo.
They set the second-highest mark for minutes gone without scoring a goal earlier this month, 465, and also failed to win in five straight games during that span.
Barcelona lost just 6 games without Lionel Messi in 8 years while Real Madrid has already lost 5 games without Cristiano Ronaldo within 4 months. Speaks volume! https://t.co/q2ESVlQQzW
— Zeeshan⁷ (@Factnaldo) October 25, 2018
So do Barca have the edge for Sunday’s fixture? Apart from home advantage, the stats certainly bear that out.
