Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Real Madrid | La Liga MD 10

Three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Real Madrid | La Liga MD 10 In the 1968-69 season, Real Madrid started off La Liga in red-hot form with nine wins in nine games. That record lived for close to five decades, until Hansi Flick’s Barcelona equalled it with their win over Real Betis last weekend. Now, they have a chance to break it and take complete bragging rights of the best-ever start to a league season in La Liga. Standing in their way, however, are Real Madrid themselves as they have a chance to redeem and hold up the record of their predecessors. If form were a factor deciding the result, Barcelona would be heavy favourites to come out on top in some style. Real Madrid, however, have turned their fortune around in recent games and now find themselves on a relative high given how the season has gone for them. They will, in that sense, fully believe they can come good against Flick’s army. Madrid Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Real Madrid. Momentum at the right time Most of Real Madrid’s games this season have passed with the team failing to convince or dominate in any sense. Real Madrid’s midfield and attack, in particular, looked off colour for the opening months of the campaign, and it has only been in the last two games that they have shown dominance of some sense. Peaking at the right moment. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) The same team that was seemingly scraping out wins against the run of play has now racked up two straight 4-1 wins with positive displays, and the momentum could not have come at a better time. Momentum is seldom a factor in El Clasico , but this time around, Real Madrid need it more than ever. After all, the high they are currently riding on after two back-to-back convincing wins will be absolutely crucial if they are to hurt Barcelona tomorrow. The emphasis, in particular, will be on Real Madrid’s midfield and attack which have been much-improved in recent games, as they will face their biggest test yet against Hansi Flick’s Barcelona. The midfield overload plan Of all of Real Madrid’s departments on the field, the midfield has been seen as the single-biggest problem this season, and Jose Mourinho has seemingly found a means to cover the voids in recent games. With the double-pivot of Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde not handing the team any control in midfield, the manager has moved the captain to right-back and pushed Guler to a deeper role alongside the Frenchman. The new arrangement provided significantly better control and creativity. Barcelona, however, boast of one of the world’s most elite and technically gifted midfields with Rodri, Pedri, Fermin Lopez, Frenkie de Jong and even Gavi at their disposal. The big battle for Real Madrid, thus, will come in the same department where they are said to lack. Mourinho reportedly has a plan in place , and it involves overloading the centre of the park with players to ensure Barcelona’s midfield is kept under pressure. Eduardo Camavinga is seen as a surprise card that Mourinho wishes to unleash against Barcelona, and he will likely start alongside Tchouameni. Jude Bellingham will complete the midfield on paper, playing as the attacking midfielder right behind the forwards. Mourinho’s ace up the sleeve? (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images) Further, the coach sees Guler as a necessary presence on the field and is expected to hand him a start on the right wing. Valverde, meanwhile, will start at right-back. All in all, five midfielders could be set to start against Barcelona and it remains to be seen if Mourinho’s midfield plan of overloading and overwhelming Barcelona pays off. A game that must be won Real Madrid’s record in El Clasicos in recent seasons has been poor, and the club are looking to exact revenge in that sense. The game on Sunday night, however, is a must-win encounter for them for reasons far beyond their self-respect or pride. Hansi Flick’s men have been unstoppable in La Liga this season and are yet to stop a single point after nine games in the competition. Real Madrid, meanwhile, have already lost twice and are six points behind the leaders at an early point in the season. Losing tomorrow night will make that deficit nine points – something Los Blancos simply cannot afford if they wish to compete seriously for the league title. These are indeed early days, but that kind of difference is something that will be very difficult to overcome. Winning on the other hand, will blow the title race wide open and cut down the deficit between Real Madrid and Barcelona to just three points. That would be the perfect outcome for Los Blancos as it will not only bring them closer to the leaders but also send them directly on a tilt of two straight defeats. The Clasico , in that sense, is a must-win game for Real Madrid in every sense of the word and all eyes will be on Los Blancos to see if they can work out a solution to get the better of their arch rivals. The pressure, quite clearly is on them to perform.