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La Liga | Gameweek 26
Mar 2, 2019 at 7.45pm UK
 
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5 talking points ahead of the week's second El Clasico clash

5 talking points ahead of the week's second El Clasico clash
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Barcelona won 3-0 in the Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday.

LaLiga leaders Barcelona have a nine-point lead over Real Madrid heading into Saturday's El Clasico at the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid have had their struggles well documented this season and currently sit third in the league, behind Barcelona and Real's city rivals Atletico.

The teams met earlier this week and it was the Catalan side who ran out 3-0 winners to go through to the Copa del Rey final.

Here, Press Association Sport's Sonia Twigg takes a look at the main talking points ahead of the fixture.

Real reaction

After Wednesday's 3-0 home loss, Real will be looking for an immediate reaction. They dominated for spells during their cup loss, which manager Santiago Solari will hope to turn into goals on Saturday.

Dominant Barcelona

Barcelona players applaud fans at the end of the Copa del Rey semifinal second leg against Real Madrid
Barcelona players applaud fans at the end of the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Real Madrid (AP Photo/Andrea Comas)

With a seven point lead in LaLiga and having knocked their rivals out of the Copa del Rey, Barcelona have been the more impressive side this season. In recent seasons, Real have struggled in this fixture – their most recent victory was in April 2016 when goals from Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo inspired a 2-1 turnaround victory at the Nou Camp.

Goalscorer Luis Suarez

The Uruguayan has enjoyed the El Clasico in recent years, having scored in all but one of their last five meetings since December 2017, including a hat-trick in this season's 5-1 thrashing of Real on October 28. Suarez added two more to his record on Wednesday, including a Panenka-style penalty in the second half to seal Barcelona's victory.

Can goals be expected?

Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring a goal in the Champions League
Barcelona's Lionel Messi celebrates scoring a goal in the Champions League (Nick Potts/PA)

The last 10 El Clasico clashes in LaLiga have averaged more than four goals a game, with one clash featuring seven goals and another producing six. The last 0-0 draw in the league was in 2002 and the last 1-0 was in 2009. Prolific goalscorer Lionel Messi remains the top goalscorer in the clash, with 26 to his name for Barcelona.

Questions over Bale?

Real Madrid's Gareth Bale celebrates scoring in the Champions League final against Liverpool
Real Madrid's Gareth Bale celebrates scoring in the Champions League final against Liverpool (Nick Potts/PA)

Gareth Bale drew attention to himself after a muted response to his team-mates' celebrations following his late penalty in Sunday's 2-1 LaLiga win at Levante on Sunday. The Welshman came on as a substitute against Barcelona just as the visitors started to dominate on Wednesday and has yet to win over some Bernabeu supporters.

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Santiago Solari in charge of Real Madrid on January 19, 2019
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Barcelona13110240122833
2Atletico MadridAtletico148512181329
3Real Madrid1283125111427
4Villarreal127322319424
5GironaGirona146352018221
6Mallorca146351312121
7Osasuna136341720-321
8Athletic Bilbao135531913620
9Real BetisBetis145541616020
10Real Sociedad135351110118
11Celta Vigo135262022-217
12Rayo Vallecano124441313016
13Sevilla134361218-615
14Leganes133551316-314
15Getafe142751011-113
16AlavesAlaves144191524-913
17Las PalmasLas Palmas143381825-712
18Valencia122461219-710
19Espanyol133191226-1410
20Real ValladolidValladolid142391027-179


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