El Clasico As We Never Expected

 The drama. The goals. The celebrations. The bragging rights. The one match nearly the whole footballing world tunes in to watch no matter what; what has come to be known as the Greatest Rivalry of all time...it is...El Grandé Clasico!

It's no surprise that Real Madrid and Barcelona are amongst the top dogs in the footballing world, both with a tempting array of accolades both local and global. Both teams have produced numerous talents, but it all entered a whole new level with the introduction of arguably the two best footballers the world has ever seen; Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

But things will be different come La Liga's next gameweek. It was a shock to Madrista's when CR7 decided his time at the Real was over, trading in his jersey for the that of the Old Ladies of Juventus. Everyone had been wondering how a Clasico without Ronaldo would be, and then we got hit with another news; Leo Messi injured and out for 3 weeks! Safe to say the last El clasico without any of the two was in 2007!

It's a big hit to the footballing world, but one thing stands; the rivalry between the two clubs stands. Real have been struggling ever since CR7's departure, but both teams have things to prove. It's not a secret that Barça have always struggled during Messi's absences, so this will be the perfect opportunity for players like Suarez and Coutinho to step up in his stead, and for the new recruits like Arthur, Dembele and possibly Malcom to try to prove a point to Ernesto Valverde. Of course the likes of Mariano, Bale and Asensio will be looking to fill in big shoes also. Some may say Real hold the advantage with Barça still struggling to sort out leaks and issues in the defensive side of their game, but El Clasico is the one match that previous form never really matters.

So, one thing we can still expect is a scintillating night of football come next weekend! Who will you be banking on, and why?

UNL Match of The Day - France VS Germany

Today's highlight comes from Group A of the maiden voyage of the Uefa Nations League.
Who ever knew the day would come when we would say that another team would be clear favorites against Germany?

The Germans had a poor showing at the recently concluded World Cup; losing to Mexico and South Korea, and barely managing a win over Sweden, it all seemed like a fluke. Fast forward some months later and they've only managed a win in a friendly against Peru, meanwhile recently losing by 3-0 against the Dutch.

The French team on the other hand seem to be in the prime of their lives having lost only 1 match in their last 22 matches! They're the crowned champions of the world, brimming with young talents, and pool of confidence to pull from right now. All eyes will be on new sensation Kylian Mbappé once more.

The match may just not go as we expected though. Why?
First of all, confidence may be important, but complacency and over confidence aren't far from each other. Didier Deschamp's side would do well to not rely on their run of success against a German team trying to right their wrongs and prove themselves once more. Also, a loss for Germany may just see them crashing out of a brand new tournament. They're hungry, and have the talent to regain their lost glory.

Personally, I see this match ending with a win or draw in favor of Germany, with 2 or more goals being scored during regular time. What's your take on the match?