The Estate

Once again, a great prize will be at stake in the Real Madrid vs Barcelona live online streaming match at the Bernabeu when Spanish football’s two greatest teams pit their skills against each other again in the El Clasico. The undisputed honour of being hailed as the best team in the country this year are what both are aiming for. Only these two clubs have a chance of claiming the title this season and it is hardly a surprise that they originate from the main Spanish capitals of Madrid and Barcelona. There was a more competitive field for the best part of the last decade when it was not rare to see up to four or five clubs in contention for the Spanish football title. This time it has been no more than a two horse race. Memories of the past are flooding back of the political and nationalistic differences the two cities’ main clubs had and still have and how they influenced the culture of their football. That influence has mainly driven the intensity that is witness during the times Real Madrid and Barcelona meet on the field for bragging rights.

Real Madrid will not need reminding the result of the corresponding fixture from the previous season. There are many similarities in their current form that can be referred to what unfolded the last time. The All Whites were in the midst of a stupendous run. There was no stopping Real Madrid as they continued to win one match after another under then manager Juande Ramos. They were also beating teams by large margins that were more like rugby scorelines. It appears to be groundhog day this season. The Madristas are top of the pile and have swept aside all competition. They sit above Barcelona with a superior goal difference. The club splashed the cash in buying up some of the best players on the planet in order to snatch the title back from Barcelona in the form of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso. Even the manager has been changed to Manuel Pellegrini after the Argentine was lured from Villarreal to lead the club to glory on every count.

Barcelona are the ones defending the title they won last season. The team led by Pep Guardiola surpassed all expectations and even the wildest imagination over the past year as they added trophy after trophy that was available in the world. Their right to be called the world’s best team has been justified after winning all six trophies they could qualify for in Spanish, European and world football. The squad has hardly changed since the last year with the only major adition in the form of Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It has not brought equivalent success this time round as Guardiola predicted. The domestic title in the La Liga and the Champions League are the only two trophies left that Barcelona can win this season. Yet ask any other club and they would readily swap for the position that the Catalan giants currently find themselves in. To first prove that they are the best in Spain, the Blaugrana would need to retain the league title. What better way to do so than to beat Real Madrid in the El Clasico and in their own stadium?