Publications
Partners
If ever there was a memory that Carlo Ancelotti and his Real Madrid charges would want to erase, it is the El Clásico of March this year at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Real Madrid’s legendary home ground.
Before that game – the 99th El Clásico to be played at the Bernabéu and the 184th overall – Madrid had stuck the knife into their rivals five consecutive times since 2020.
Barcelona were mired in turmoil and the high-flying Los Blancos came into that match confident that they were just going to collect the three points as they marched on to yet another title.
READ: El Clásico thrust Xavi's Barca into the spotlight again
On that nightmarish day, Barcelona silenced the Bernabéu by putting four past Madrid, to no reply. Pain was etched on the faces of the Madrid players as they trudged off the field.
Ancelotti was gracious in defeat and took full responsibility for the disaster. He even refused to blame the absence of key players – including the infallible Karim Benzema – who had been sidelined by injuries as the gruelling LaLiga and Champions League seasons took their toll.
Ancelotti said afterwards:
And put it behind them they did.
Madrid went on to comfortably win the title and also clinched the Champions League for the 14th time. Their eternal rivals ended up a distant second – 13 points behind the champions.
What’s more, Barcelona did not even make it out of the group stages of the Champions League. They were relegated to the Europa League where, to add to the grimness of the season, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals.
But as they head into today’s game – the 100th at the Bernabéu – things are very different from last season. The arrival of club legend Xavi, who replaced the hapless Ronald Koeman as Barça tried to salvage the season, has re-energised the Catalans.
They sit at the summit, albeit only ahead of Madrid on goal difference. Following the disappointing 2021/22 season, Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta opened the chequebook for Xavi. With the €150 million (R2.6 billion) purse, they were able to bolster their ranks with the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Jules Kounde and Raphinha headlining the cast of new arrivals.
They have made an immediate impact, with Lewandowski scoring in almost every game. But that has come with its own set of problems, with the overreliance on the Poland captain being as much of a curse as it is a blessing.
On Wednesday night, Barcelona had to rely on Lewandowski to rescue a point in the high-octane six-goal thriller against Inter Milan at Camp Nou. Even that, however, was not enough as they now need the impossible scenario of Inter failing to win their last two games to advance. Otherwise, it is relegation to the Europa League and the unglamorous prospects of Thursday night football.
READ: All you need to know about the new LaLiga season
And so for Barça, the attention turns to the domestic race and today provides the opportunity to keep the hope of silverware alive. A dispirited Xavi said in the aftermath that he was “angry” and “upset” but still hoped that “it does not affect us psychologically” ahead of the El Clásico.
Midfielder Pedri was as philosophical as the boss, saying that Xavi had told the players that: “We have lost an opportunity that for us was very important which was the Champions League. Now we have La Liga left and we are first and we want to continue in that position.”
Over in the Spanish capital, things are looking much rosier. Other than the blip that resulted in a 1-1 draw with Osasuna, Madrid have just continued from where they left off last season.
They are level on points with Barcelona in La Liga and, with two games to spare, they are already through to the knockout stages of the Champions League.
And, unlike their rivals, responsibility is much more evenly spread among the stars. While everyone marvels at the invincibility of the presumptive Ballon d’Or winner Benzema, the opposition cannot count on blunting Real Madrid by shutting him down.
This Madrid side is beyond its talisman. Think Rodrygo, Vinícius Júnior, Luka Modric and Aurélien Tchouaméni.
Some of the players in the starting line-up may not have been there for that humiliation in March, but the lust for revenge is something Ancelotti has been stoking in the run up to today. El Chiringuito TV quoted the coach telling his players at Thursday’s training to kick their opponents hard while they are down. “Barça are dead right now and the only way they can revive is by beating us on Sunday. We cannot let them win again. This is a final,” Ancelotti reportedly said.
Dead or not, down or not: derbies are not always about current form. Emotion, grit and on-day resolve play an outsized role on such occasions. In March, Barça were at a low and they inflicted the pain they did. Today will be about redemption for one side and vengeance for the other.
