Barcelona's Lionel Messi / Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo (Photo : REUTERS/Juan Medina)
Spanish football giants Barcelona and Real Madrid will share the same field once again, but unlike their first confrontation in the season, Sunday game will have the top place in the Spanish La Liga standing up for grabs at Camp Nou.
Clinging to a solitary point lead in the current standings, Barcelona (21-2-4, 65 points) is expected to come out in full force against Real Madrid (21-1-5, 64 points) that dominated them 3-1 in their first meeting last October.
Centre-back Gerard Pique is convinced that it would take their best effort to exact their revenge against the Los Blancos and get the precious three points that could be huge for their Spanish La Liga championship bid as they head into the homestretch mark of the season.
"Winning the Clasico would be a very important step forward," he said on the club's website via ESPN FC. "There are ten games left and it's very tight between us. If we get three points it also means that they won't, and that will open a gap that might end up winning us the title."
After a shaky start, Barcelona eventually found their identity midway into the season as their attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez began to build solid chemistry together.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, will rely on Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Banzema, who confessed that he's also feeling the massive pressure the El Classic game has produced.
"We know that there's a lot of pressure, but that's normal because it's a huge match," he told the Bwin website via ESPN FC. "Every player who loves football wants to play in it. We're going to prepare well for the match, all together, to go to Barcelona and win.
Live Stream, Game-cast, Scores, Results & Highlights
Real Madrid vs. Barcelona El Clasico match will start at exactly 4:00 p.m United States Eastern Time at Camp Nou in Barcelona. Starting Lineups, play-by-play commentary and analysis can be followed on ESPN FC Gamecast, while live streaming of the match can be availed of online via beIN Sports Connect (United States Canada) or Stream Hunter (International). TV Channels beIN Sports (US / Canada), beIN Sports Espanol (US & Spanish) and Sky Sports (UK) will cover El Clasico match. Goals and Highlights are available on Caught Offside.
