The two most-storied clubs in the Spanish Liga will do battle today in a clásico between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The first-division clash scheduled for 4 p.m. ET will be held at the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid and can be live streamed here free.
No match prevents the world from rotating on its axis like El Clásico. This battle between the two preeminent powers in the world of football has the added benefit of an intense Spanish title race in 2014. A mere four points separates Real Madrid from Barcelona. A victory from Los Blancos would close the casket on the Catalan giants. Fortunately for Madrid, manager Carlo Ancelotti believes Gareth Bale is in the form of his life ahead of today's clash (h/t to Sky Sports). "In the first game he was switching positions with Angel Di Maria at times, but now he is used to playing on the wing and the team is balanced so we won't change that," Ancelotti said.
"He is in good shape. His physical condition is very important for him and I am sure he will play a great game," he added.
"We haven't done any special work with him to improve his fitness or speed. He just has great genes and has done the same work as everyone else. He is in really good condition and we are very happy with him. He had some problems at the start of the season but now he is looking good and we hope that will continue until the end of the season."
Will Real Madrid continue to separate themselves from the pack with victory in the Santiago Bernabéu? Tell us @SportsWN
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Player to Watch: There is no other answer. He is the reigning FIFA Ballon d'Or winner. He is two goals from breaking the UEFA Champions League season record. He is the current leader in all of Spain with 25 goals. He is Cristiano Ronaldo.
Real Madrid's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): López; Marcelo, Pepe, Ramos, Carvajal; María, Alonso, Modric; Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale
Barcelona's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Valdés; Alba, Mascherano, Piqué, Alves; Iniesta, Busquets, Xavi; Neymar, Messi, Sánchez
Spanish League Table
|
RNK |
TEAM |
GP |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
PTS |
|||
|
1 |
Real Madrid |
28 |
22 |
4 |
2 |
77 |
26 |
51 |
70 |
|||
|
2 |
Atlético Madrid |
28 |
21 |
4 |
3 |
64 |
21 |
43 |
67 |
|||
|
3 |
FC Barcelona |
28 |
21 |
3 |
4 |
81 |
22 |
59 |
66 |
|||
|
4 |
Athletic Club |
29 |
16 |
7 |
6 |
52 |
32 |
20 |
55 |
|||
|
5 |
Real Sociedad |
28 |
13 |
7 |
8 |
49 |
39 |
10 |
46 |
|||
|
6 |
Villarreal CF |
28 |
13 |
6 |
9 |
48 |
34 |
14 |
45 |
|||
|
7 |
Sevilla FC |
28 |
12 |
8 |
8 |
51 |
43 |
8 |
44 |
|||
|
8 |
RCD Espanyol |
29 |
10 |
7 |
12 |
32 |
34 |
-2 |
37 |
|||
|
9 |
Levante UD |
29 |
9 |
10 |
10 |
26 |
35 |
-9 |
37 |
|||
|
10 |
Valencia CF |
28 |
10 |
6 |
12 |
39 |
39 |
0 |
36 |
|||
|
11 |
Granada CF |
29 |
10 |
4 |
15 |
28 |
39 |
-11 |
34 |
|||
|
12 |
Celta de Vigo |
29 |
9 |
6 |
14 |
33 |
41 |
-8 |
33 |
|||
|
13 |
Málaga CF |
29 |
8 |
8 |
13 |
28 |
36 |
-8 |
32 |
|||
|
14 |
Elche CF |
29 |
7 |
9 |
13 |
24 |
41 |
-17 |
30 |
|||
|
15 |
Rayo Vallecano |
29 |
9 |
3 |
17 |
33 |
63 |
-30 |
30 |
|||
|
16 |
Osasuna |
28 |
8 |
5 |
15 |
24 |
48 |
-24 |
29 |
|||
|
17 |
Getafe CF |
29 |
7 |
7 |
15 |
26 |
46 |
-20 |
28 |
|||
|
18 |
Real Valladolid |
29 |
5 |
12 |
12 |
31 |
49 |
-18 |
27 |
|||
|
19 |
UD Almería |
28 |
7 |
5 |
16 |
27 |
52 |
-25 |
26 |
|||
|
20 |
Real Betis |
28 |
4 |
7 |
17 |
23 |
56 |
-33 |
19 |
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