El Clásico: 5 Stars Who Will Shine Tonight

Tonight, all eyes will be on the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, otherwise known as the Camp Nou, for El Clásico. It will be the scene of the second meeting between Barcelona and Real Madrid in two weeks. Los Blancos will still be smarting from that last encounter, which cost them a trophy. For this reason, they will be desperate to pip their Catalan rivals this time. 

Real will cut Barcelona’s lead in the La Liga race to just one point if they seal the win. With three games to go, they will feel they have a solid chance of replacing Barça at the league summit before the end of the season. Luis Enrique and his men themselves won’t want to entertain the thought of dropping any points. They will be gunning for the domestic double after being dumped out of the Champions League on Tuesday.   

With both sides going full tilt in search of a win, they will look to these key players to decide El Clásico in their favor. 

Lamine Yamal

Is there any lingering doubt after his breathtaking Champions League displays that the Barcelona right-winger is the reincarnation of Lionel Messi? If there’s any player who can do the unpredictable, unlock Real Madrid’s defense, and hand Barcelona the advantage in this El Clásico, it’s the 17-year-old.

Tonight, he will be up against Ferland Mendy and Antonio Rüdiger on the right flank. They’d better eat and rest well tonight, as they’ll be in for a long game. They may also want to take notes from Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni and Federico Dimarco on how to contain the youngster. Not like that they’ll be of much help.

Kylian Mbappé

Despite being on the losing side of the two El Clásico games he’s played in his short Real Madrid career, Mbappé has scored in both. In the last of these encounters, the French striker was rushed into the game at the 70th minute, even before he could fully shake off an ankle injury. That’s how short of reliable goal-getters Los Merengues are. Mbappé finished the game unscathed, and Madridistas will be hoping he’ll be in even better shape for this latest instalment of the El Clásico saga.

Thibaut Courtois

In the Copa del Rey final, Courtois was the busier of the keepers. He made seven saves that night, including tipping a goal-bound Jules Koundé header over the bar. And pushing that superb Lamine Yamal curler beyond the post. That Real Madrid is still in the title race owes a lot to the Belgian’s shot-stopping prowess.

Historically, Los Blancos were never known for their defence, despite splashing zillions on some of the greatest purveyors of the craft. Their current backline features Rüdiger and David Alaba, who is still trying to find full fitness after a long layoff. Raúl Asencio has been deputizing ably for Alaba but is yet to forge a firm understanding with Rüdiger. Courtois has had to dig deep into his bag of tricks to cover for those defensive shortcomings and is likely to be very busy tonight. 

Jude Bellingham

The Englishman had a blinder of a season following his arrival from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2023. He was pivotal in Real Madrid’s La Liga and Champions League victories then. This season has been more of a slog for the attacking midfielder (a niggling injury could be to blame) but he’s still notched a respectable eight goals and eight assists.

No other Real player other than Mbappé has more goal contributions so far. But these stats will mean nothing to him after being dumped out of the UCL by Arsenal and suffering that painful Copa del Rey finals loss. He will therefore be fired up for tonight’s El Clásico. And we all know what a motivated Bellingham is capable of. Madridistas will be praying he can rediscover last season’s habit of scoring crucial deciders. 

Raphinha

If the world wasn’t caught up gushing over Lamine Yamal’s talents, we’d be talking about the Brazilian’s scintillating form this season. Operating from the left flank, he has a knack for being in the right place to finish off Barça’s attacks. He’s done that 16 times and set up nine of his team’s goals.

Raphinha’s talents have never been in doubt, but consistency has been his Achilles’ heel since his Premier League days with Leeds United. Under Hansi Flick’s guidance, he seems to have overcome this weakness. Tonight, he’ll be up against makeshift right-back Lucas Vázquez, which, in theory, should make his work easier. Besides his threat from open play, Raphinha’s delivery in set-piece situations will worry Real Madrid.   

History Beckons 

Tonight’s El Clásico will likely be a continuation of the high-octane, ill-tempered Copa del Rey final. Expect moments of magic, calamitous errors, and a flurry of cards. These are the perfect conditions for exceptional players to write their names into history.