Paul Erewuba
Barcelona and Real Madrid lock horns once again in one of the biggest rivalries in football: El Clasico.
Ronald Koeman and Zinedine Zidane go head to head at Camp Nou, and neither manager will want to make a misstep so early on in what will be a taxing 2020/21 season.
Given Lionel Messi’s clash with the Barca board this summer, this could well be the Argentine legend’s final Clasico home game at Camp Nou – and if it is, he will want to be going out with a bang.
As for Real, Zidane is under pressure heading into this battle given Real have lost two on the trot, and a hat-trick of defeats – especially to Barca – will leave the Liga champions with big questions to answer.
This match will be played behind closed doors at the Camp Nou with no fans due to be present due to government guidelines regarding coronavirus.
Marc-Andre ter Stegen remains sidelined, while Samuel Umtiti is a major injury doubt. Jordi Alba should return from a hamstring injury.
As for Real, Eden hazard is sidelined yet again along with Dani Carvajal. Mariano Diaz, Alvaro Odriozola and Sergio Ramos are on the comeback trail, though Martin Odegaard is a doubt.
Neither side is in full flow, with Real in particular coming off the back of two shock home defeats. Barca demolished Ferencvaros 5-1 in the Champions League, but were shaky at the back early on – and Real will look to get at Koeman’s defence.
Los Blancos were masters of squeezing out results during the run-in last term, and Zidane’s side will surely tighten up at Camp Nou. Both managers would probably privately take a point at this stage as they get their teams up to speed.
Barcelona slumped to a 1-0 defeat against Getafe last week but staged a recovery in the UEFA Champions League with an excellent 5-1 victory against Hungarian outfit Ferencvaros.
The Catalans have revamped their squad under Ronald Koeman and will want to prove a point in this game.