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?