Three talking points as Barcelona face Real Madrid in La Liga | OneFootball

Having dismantled Bayern Munich 4-1 midweek in what was a statement performance, FC Barcelona are set to face their next challenge as they take a trip to the Santiago Bernabeu to face Real Madrid in the famed El Clasico encounter.

Barcelona have dropped points in just one out of 10 games in La Liga so far and are three points ahead of Real Madrid as things stand. A victory on the night would take the Catalan club six points clear of their arch-rivals in the league.

Hansi Flick has transformed Barcelona in a way no one would have imagined. After years of trauma in the Champions League, the Catalan club got the monkey off their back against Bayern Munich and a win over Real Madrid would further solidify his project.

It is never easy to go away to Madrid and come back with three points but it isn’t unchartered territory either. Flick will surely have a tactical plan in his head and one can only hope he can outsmart Carlo Ancelotti on the night.

With all this in mind, we at Barca News Network bring to you three talking points for Barcelona ahead of their La Liga game against Real Madrid.

1. Mission: The perfect week

Before the week started, every Barcelona fan wished that their team could come up with the perfect week with victories over Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. One out of those two is done. Should Real Madrid be conquered, it indeed would be the perfect week.

It’s been over five years since Barcelona entered big games with the confidence that they could outplay their opposition. Following their win over Bayern, momentum is at an all-time high, and Flick will be counting on it.

Unlike Bayern Munich, Barcelona have found ways to beat Real Madrid, even during periods when they weren’t at their best. One memorable example is Franck Kessié’s late goal to secure a win over Los Blancos in a match that, in all honesty, Xavi’s team deserved to lose.

Barcelona fans will be hoping for yet another statement performance away at Madrid. If the team can win this game—and do so in style—the world will undoubtedly take notice of the Catalan club. Let’s wait and see how it unfolds.

2. Barcelona’s high line vs Vinicius & Mbappe:

Hansi Flick all but confirmed in the press conference before the Clasico that it was Barcelona’s philosophy to hold a high-line like they have been doing all season and there is no reason for them to abandon it when it is working.

Against Bayern Munich, for much of the game, especially after Bayern’s goal, Barcelona were using the halfway line as their reference for the offside trap and caught the German team with perfect stepping up on a number of occasions.

Real Madrid however have two players in Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe who will thrive on being on the shoulder of Barcelona’s defenders and make perfectly timed runs behind the defense. Should they manage to beat the offside trap, there will be no stopping them.

In many ways, it’s good for Barcelona that they won’t have to contend with Rodrgyo who has been ruled out of the game. Regardless, the aforementioned duo can cause enough problems, and let’s wait and see how it goes.

3. Raphinha vs Lucas Vasquez

This is the battle that could decide the game in Barcelona’s favor. Dani Carvajal’s injury has left Real Madrid short of options at right-back and as industrious as Vasquez is, he is nowhere close to the Euro champion’s level.

Raphinha on the other hand is in the form of his life. He is one of the best players in Europe since the beginning of the season and against Vasquez, he could run riot. This would be Barcelona’s best outlet in attack. However, we might see Federico Valverde drop back to assist Vázquez or even take on a man-marking role against Raphinha.

We saw midweek just how accurate Raphinha can be, especially if players like Lamine, Pedri, and Casado find him regularly with switches. With Thibaut Courtois also absent, this could be a game where the Brazilian runs roost.

That said, Barcelona cannot afford to put all their eggs in one basket and hope for Raphinha to get them the goals. Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski are also in great scoring form and let’s wait and see how the attack pans out.