CONTINUE
Two years later, the Santiago Bernabéu stadium will experience a classic. On March 1, 2020, a couple of weeks before Pedro Sánchez decreed a state of alarm and the country was confined, Real Madrid beat Barça (2-0), with goals from Vinicius and Mariano. Since then, a classic has not been lived in the white fiefdom. Last season, the stage was in a Di Stéfano behind closed doors, and the classics of this course, already with an audience, have been played at the Camp Nou and in Riyadh. 24 months later, Real Madrid will finally roar against its eternal rival, in a fairly decaffeinated duel, both for the current classification and for the trend of recent seasons.
shoot a shot
Madrid accumulates five consecutive victories against Barça. Since the last culé victory at the Bernabéu, on March 2, 2019, with a goal from Rakitic (0-1), the white team has been impregnable in the classics: a tie and a record of victories (2-0 in the Bernabéu, 1-3 at the Camp Nou, 2-1 at Valdebebas, 1-2 at the Camp Nou and 3-2 at the Riad) than the Madrid record of Di Stéfano, Gento and Puskas, who chained six wins in a row between 1962 and 1965. Tonight (21.00:18 p.m., Movistar LaLiga), Madrid will seek this symbolic sixth consecutive victory, a fact that would also leave Barça 27 points behind, with only 12 to play for. An abyss that, even in the case of not producing and giving the opposite result, defeat and distance of XNUMX points, would not generate any anxiety for Ancelotti's men, who have the title quite on track.
For this reason, Benzema will not risk today. The Englishman, who suffered a puncture in the soleus of his left leg when scoring the 0-3 in Mallorca last Monday, will not finally be in the classic. Ancelotti justified his absence by the pain that he still has in the injured area, but the feeling is that if the match was decisive for the fight for the championship, Karim would have forced, as he did in Paris against PSG, although such a thing was denied there obvious. With the League practically in their pocket, Madrid are beginning to look to Europe, where they have a complicated quarter-final tie against Chelsea, with the first leg in just over two weeks. That is the real objective of the Spanish striker: “When Benzema was injured he took advantage of it to come back better and make a difference. I think he has had few injuries this season, but he has had them in just the right period of it. Now, for example, he is not going to go to France and when he returns he will be fresher, ”Ancelotti explained.
Benzema's loss in the classic has a key nuance for the outcome of the season. Taking risks with him means playing with fire in the duel against Barça and exposing him to two weeks with France without any sense, considering that the Gauls, like Spain, are going to play two bland friendlies. His absence today kills this double risk and allows him to have two weeks to recover properly, rest better and reach the tie against Chelsea in perfect condition: “He is a player who is 34 years old and sometimes this type of discomfort can happen to him . He doesn't worry me that he won't play against Barça because we have plenty of time for him to play at the end of the season”.
nacho, captain
The other absence from Madrid for the classic is that of Mendy, whose position on the left side will be occupied by Nacho, the low-profile youth player that every coach would like to have in his squad. A versatile, professional and committed footballer who is a blessing for Ancelotti. Tonight, in the absence of Karim and the substitution of Benzema, he will wear the armband: “He is a player who has a lot of balance. He knows very well what his position is in this squad, that's why it doesn't matter if he plays or if he doesn't play, or if he plays as a center back or a winger. He always maintains this balance and is able to maintain a very, very high professionalism. He is always great.”
As will only be usual in the classics of recent years, the style will once again be the focus of many of the party's debates. With Xavi on the culé bench, the usual Barça speech in which possession is the most valuable thing, becomes more intense than ever. Ancelotti, little friend of being chained to a specific philosophy, does not see it that way: “The style that I like for Madrid? One that embodies the characteristics of the players in the squad. If your players are capable of making a good possession, you can play that. If you have good defenses with your feet, you come from behind; but if not, for example, the long ball is a great option. I don't rule out any ideas. From my experience, I have always tried to apply a team in which the players are comfortable. For me, football is not just a style, you have to be able to play in various ways. And this squad has so much quality that it can do it like that”.
