Sunday brings the 247th official edition of El Clasico, the eternal rivalry between LaLiga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. Though it’s still too early to look at single games within the context of the overall title race — each side has 30 league games after this weekend — it’s never too early for these two to land a critical blow on each other and establish a little bit of joy amid a difficult start to the season.
Will Barcelona get a morale-boosting victory at home, or will Real Madrid add further woe to Ronald Koeman & Co., who are still processing the exit of Lionel Messi in the offseason? ESPN’s Sam Marsden (Barcelona) and Alex Kirkland (Real Madrid) break down the game from a tactical perspective, looking at their form, the key players, the key battles around the pitch and the intangibles that could make the difference.
