El Clasico: Goals on The Horizon with FC Barcelona and Real Madrid Firing on All Cylinders

One should always expect the unexpected in El Clasico, but if there’s one thing we should expect when Real Madrid face FC Barcelona on Monday, it’s goals. The two teams are in scintillating attacking form heading into Sunday’s showdown at the Santiago Bernabeu, with FC Barcelona now matching the hunger for goals Real Madrid have shown for most of the campaign.

Barca have scored 20 times in their last six LaLiga Santander matches, a remarkable turnaround considering they had only managed nine in their previous six.

Key to their revival has been the integration of their new arrivals Ferran Torres, Adama Traoré and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, plus veteran Dani Alves, who made a sensational return to the club aged 38.

Former Valencia CF striker Ferran, who signed for FC Barcelona in January after a year and a half with Manchester City, has made an emphatic return to Spain, scoring four goals and contributing three assists. He led Barca’s resounding 4-0 win over CA Osasuna last Sunday with two goals after scoring in the 2-1 win away to Elche CF the week before.

“I said that the goals would come for Ferran,” coach Xavi Hernández told the media, beaming with pride after the win over CA Osasuna. “It was just a matter of time.”

Another player who has proved clinical for FC Barcelona since moving to La Liga from England is Aubameyang. The former Arsenal captain has proved an instant hit, banging in a hat-trick in the 4-1 win at Valencia CF in what was only his second league start. He followed that up with a goal against Napoli in the Europa League and strikes in the league wins over Athletic Club and CA Osasuna. The Gabon striker has been prolific wherever he has played and La Liga is the fourth of Europe’s top five leagues he is conquering, after Ligue 1, the Bundesliga and the Premier League.

FC Barcelona could barely believe their luck at getting hold of such a proven striker in January, and Xavi aptly summed up the club’s sense of joy when he described Aubameyang as a “gift that has fallen out of the sky.”

Then there’s Ousmane Dembélé, who is in resurgent form and was a thorn in CA Osasuna’s side in the 4-0 drubbing.

Adama, meanwhile, who was born in Barcelona and came through the club’s La Masia academy, has also proved a highly useful weapon, giving the team a remarkable physical boost, and leaving opposing defenders terrified.

Real Madrid are oozing confidence

Barcelona head into ElClasico in confident mood, but Real Madrid side also in blistering form, riding high at the top of the LaLiga Santander table and flying in Europe too.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side could not be in a more confident mood after their recent epic comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Just like Barca, their attack is purring. Karim Benzema, who is in the peak of his career at age 34, is in insatiable form. After scoring a hat-trick against PSG, he will be particularly keen to do some damage against FC Barcelona after failing to get on the scoresheet in the victory back in October.

His partner in crime Vini Jr has not been as prolific but has been equally as crucial and knows how to set up Benzema or score himself. Barça will no doubt be spending a lot of their pre-match preparation working out how to stop the unpredictable Brazilian, who ran them ragged in their 3-2 win in the Spanish Super Cup in January.

Pride at stake in El Clasico

While the result in ElClasico has often played a huge role in determining the destination of the LaLiga Santander title, that might not directly be the case this year as Real Madrid are challenging Sevilla FC first and foremost.

Even with FC Barcelona’s sparkling form at the moment, Xavi has admitted the chances of his side catching Real Madrid are slim. “Winning LaLiga is very difficult, even if we beat Madrid,” he said after overcoming CA Osasuna. “That’s mainly because Real Madrid aren’t slipping up. They’ve only lost twice. They would have to drop points four times, so we can’t be too optimistic.”

Pride is certainly at stake, though, as FC Barcelona have lost the last four league meetings with Real Madrid. They’ll look to reverse that trend on Sunday night and certainly have the firepower to achieve it.

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