Desperate Real face Barcelona in must-win clash

Just like the whole world, football has also taken a hit because of the coronavirus outbreak. Five Serie A matches have been postponed and fear has led to Newcastle United banning handshakes in training. Amidst this chaos, the whole world will once again focus on one game on Sunday - the El Classico as Barcelona and Real Madrid will fight it out at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Los Blancos will surely be more desperate than the Blaugranas. Recent poor outings resulted in them losing their top spot in the league to Barcelona. And with them already out of the Copa Del Rey and 2-1 defeat to Manchester City at home in the Uefa Champions League (UCL), another defeat might just see Barcelona run away with the league. The defending champions, Barcelona are already ahead by two points at the top and a win at their bitter rivals' home will see them five points clear with 12 games to go.

Real's recent form is ominous

Real Madrid seemed to have turned their luck around under Zinedine Zidane this season after a disaster in the last one. But only one win from their last five games saw the situation go south as they might just face their second trophy-less season on the trot.

Zidane's men are in dire need for a win in the Classico and with no wins in their last five, things will not be easy. They are already facing a turbulent time after their 2-1 defeat at home to Manchester City which sees them on the backfoot in Europe's prime competition.

If Real fail to win this, they will see Barcelona at least three points clear at the top. They might also want this win as a boost of confidence for their UCL clash against City. But on a ground where Barcelona were last defeated to them in 2014, things will not be easy.

Barça finding their feet under Setien

Since the appointment of Quique Setien in place of Ernesto Valverde, Barcelona have produced football of better quality on the pitch. Despite mixed results and getting knocked out of the Copa Del Rey, Barcelona are ahead in the league and have come back from Naples with a 1-1 draw in the UCL which puts them in a better situation that their rivals.

Barcelona are plagued with injuries as Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele, Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto are out of contention for the match. Adding insult to injury, their veteran defender Gerrard Pique is also unsure for the Classico.

Barcelona have lost none of their last five Classicos, winning three and drawing the other two. Two of their three victories have come at the Bernabeu and they will hope to reciprocate the same on Sunday.

Their skipper Lionel Messi is in good form after scoring four goals in their last league game. Some shots have been already fired at him as Real keeper Thibaut Courtois said that for him, Messi was like just another player.

Messi's reactions to such comments have often been a telling blow for many opponents and Real Madrid fans will surely hope that this will not be the case in a match where they are in desperate need for a win.

Possible Lineups

Real Madrid are likely to go with a 4-3-3 formation with Isco playing as a false winger. Courtois will take his place at goal with Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Ferland Mendy completing the backline. Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Fede Valverde will possibly form the midfield and with Eden Hazard out with an injury, Vinicius Jr, Karim Benzema and Isco will form the attacking trio.

Barcelona are also likely to play with a 4-3-3 and youngster Ansu Fati might get his first Classico start. Marc Andre Ter Stegen will be at goal and with Pique unsure, Clement Lenglet and Samuel Umtiti are likely to pair at the heart of their defence. Nelson Semedo and Junior Firpo will likely be the full-backs with Sergio Busquets, Arthur and Frenkie De Jong are set to play in the midfield. And their front three will see their mercurial skipper Messi line up with Antoine Griezmann and Ansu Fati.