Real Madrid 0-3 Barcelona: Lionel Messi settles El Clasico to bury champions’ title hopes – 5 talking points

Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi fired Barcelona past Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in a fiery Clasico, sending the Catalans 14 points clear of their arch rivals at the top of the table.

Madrid had the better of the first half, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring, but from an offside position, while Barcelona should have had a penalty for Dani Carvajal’s foul on Gerard Pique.

A lightning Barcelona break in the 54th minute saw them break the deadlock, with Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and finally Sergi Roberto combining to set up Suarez.

Then Madrid were reduced to 10 men when Carvajal was sent off for a handball to prevent a certain goal, with Messi slamming home the penalty.

The Argentinian dribbled down the right in stoppage time and pulled back for Aleix Vidal to slide home a third to all but end Real’s title hopes and keep unbeaten Barcelona flying at the top of the table.

Here are the five key talking points…

1. Roles reversed

Barcelona starting the game 11 points clear of Real Madrid put both teams in an unusual state of mind for the game.

Madrid needed to come out guns blazing, desperate for an early goal, while Barcelona had to take on the style their opponents often employ, the counter-attack.

While in Clasicos past we’ve seen Barcelona dominate the ball and Madrid strike to try and hit them on the break, here the roles were reversed.

Madrid were on top, closing down Barcelona at every opportunity, pressing high, whereas the Catalans were content to be penned in, waiting for the right moment to surge forward.

That came in the second half and Barcelona had a lot of energy in the tank which they used to take Madrid to shreds and secure a huge victory.

Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi fired Barcelona past Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu in a fiery Clasico, sending the Catalans 14 points clear of their arch rivals at the top of the table.

Madrid had the better of the first half, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring, but from an offside position, while Barcelona should have had a penalty for Dani Carvajal’s foul on Gerard Pique.

A lightning Barcelona break in the 54th minute saw them break the deadlock, with Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic and finally Sergi Roberto combining to set up Suarez.

Then Madrid were reduced to 10 men when Carvajal was sent off for a handball to prevent a certain goal, with Messi slamming home the penalty.

The Argentinian dribbled down the right in stoppage time and pulled back for Aleix Vidal to slide home a third to all but end Real’s title hopes and keep unbeaten Barcelona flying at the top of the table.

2. Paulinho’s powerful impact

We have sing the praises of the Brazilian this season already but until he proved himself in a Clasico, there was always going to be a question mark above his head.

Paulinho shone at the Santiago Bernabeu, proving the biggest thorn in Real Madrid’s side throughout.

In the first half he was Barcelona’s only attacking threat, linking superbly with Messi twice and stinging the palms of Keylor Navas.

After the break his energy was vital as Barcelona overran Madrid, and he found the net although the goal was ruled out for Dani Carvajal to be shown a red card and Barcelona given a penalty.

3. Carvajal crimes

Dani Carvajal had a day to forget. The Real Madrid right-back was lucky not to concede a penalty in the first half when he brought down Gerard Pique in the area.

Then in the second period he was nowhere to be seen as Barcelona opened the scoring, Suarez eluding the defender to finish under Navas as Barcelona broke away.

Finally, he committed a disgraceful handball to keep the ball out of his net at the end of a comical goalmouth scramble, and was shown the red card.

Lionel Messi blasted home the advantage to double Barcelona’s lead, and Madrid took off Karim Benzema to plug the gap left by Carvajal with Nacho, ending their hopes of getting anything from the game.

4. Ter Savem

There are no better goalkeepers in world football, right now, than Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The German glovesman has been in sensational form all season, and his wonderful saves have kept the Catalans free from defeat in La Liga and the Champions League.

He was at it again in the Clasico, keeping Madrid at bay, even after Barcelona’s defence switched off in the final stages and Madrid started creating chances despite having 10 men.

With Manuel Neuer still recovering from injury, it’s impossible to claim there is a goalkeeper in better form than Ter Stegen.

Thibaut Courtois and Jan Oblak are top stoppers too, but Ter Stegen is a cut above.

5. La Liga is over

That’s how it looks, anyway, although nobody from Barcelona will admit it for fear of jinxing themselves.

Barcelona, unbeaten all season, are now 14 points ahead of Real Madrid, who are fourth.

Atletico Madrid are in second place and nine behind the leaders, having suffered a humiliating 1-0 beating by Espanyol at Cornella on Friday night.

They will also have to deal with a gruelling Europa League campaign which could upset their league form further still.

Valencia, meanwhile, could move within eight points of Barcelona if they win later Saturday, but nobody truly believes they will go on to compete for the title.

Eddie Hearn explains why Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury megafight is “un-makeable”

Eddie Hearn reckons a clash between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury is “un-makeable”.

Former heavyweight champion Fury has been cleared to return by the British Boxing Board of Control after accepting a two-year backdated doping ban.

And on Wednesday he took to Twitter to write: ‘@anthonyfjoshua will except [sic] 40% of our fight & will walk first & be announced first, I’m the biggest fight out there for these guys by double. U heard it here first. @EddieHearn’.

But Hearn, who promotes IFB, IBO and WBA champ Joshua, said: “He has text me that before, he does mean that.

“I’ve been talking to Fury [about promoting him] — the only way he is going to get the Joshua fight is with us.

“So I’ve been talking to Fury about a plan to lead to the Joshua fight.

“But I said to him, ‘We can’t talk about the Joshua fight now, you can’t expect to have a conversation, you haven’t even boxed for two years. You might come back and stink the place out and have small value in the fight’.

“He came back and said to me: ‘I’ll make it really easy for you. Straight and simple. I’ll give you a deal you’ll accept right away. I want 60-40, all the champion’s benefits — I want to walk second, it’s my name on the poster, I get the choice of changing rooms’.

“I went back and was like ‘Ah, yeah’, and he said, ‘No, he’s only where he is because of me…’

“Fury doesn’t want the AJ fight yet, he knows deep down he will get mauled by Anthony Joshua if they fight now.

“By the way, I rate Fury — he’s tough to beat, awkward, he’s not exciting but he’s a messer and he’s skilful.

“But you can’t compete, after coming back after that period, with AJ.

“I’ve said I’d give him a couple of fights and then the AJ fight, but he will probably sign with Frank Warren and it makes it unlikely, doesn’t it?

“We’re with one broadcaster, he’s with another, and I don’t think we could get everybody on board together.

“More worrying than that, we are so far apart that this fight is un-makeable.

“It’s not even as if we’re within five per cent, 10, 15, 20 per cent maybe.

“Fury is a voluntary challenger for all these titles but also has a lot of value in the fight, let’s make that clear.

“It’s not like we see him as 20 per cent or something like that.

“But at the moment, we shouldn’t even be considering this fight until we see if he can do something rather than just talk about it.”

Romelu Lukaku upset with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba at Manchester United

Romelu Lukaku upset with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba

Romelu Lukaku is unhappy with Zlatan Ibrahimovic after clashing with the Swede over his position at Manchester United, according to reports.

Ibrahimovic made his return from a cruciate ligament injury last month and provided an interesting talking point when he made his way on to the pitch against Newcastle United as he instructed Lukaku to move out to a wider position.

In United’s next game against Basel, the Belgium international walked towards the touchline once again as Ibrahimovic came on as a second-half substitute before being told to stay in his position by Ander Herrera.

According to the Daily Mirror, Lukaku fells ‘undermined’ by Ibrahimovic and is unhappy that Jose Mourinho and United’s coaching team has not spoken to the 36-year-old about the incident.

Lukaku has struggled for goals in recent weeks but has still scored 14 in 26 appearances for United so far this season. But the Belgian’s has not celebrated his last two goals and the Mirror claim that his relationship with Ibrahimovic is one of the key factors behind it. Lukaku, who also took Ibrahimovic’s No.9 shirt when he arrived at United in the summer, is also unhappy with Paul Pogba and Mino Raiola as the Mirror claims that both men are ‘gravitating’ towards the Swedish striker.

 

 

 

 

Valencia vs Villarreal : Match Preview & Prediction

Team News

Valencia
  • Simone Zaza returns from suspension for the home side.
  • Goncalo Guedes should be fit to start, after coming off the bench last weekend, but Carlos Soler is out with an ankle problem.
  • Andreas Pereira will continue in midfield, with Ezequiel Garay due to return at centre-back. Jose Gaya has a minor muscle complaint, but should be risked at Mestalla.
Villarreal
  • Cedric Bakambu and Dani Raba are both back after suspension and the former should start up front.
  • Pablo Fornals will feature in behind the strikers, with Samu Castillejo preferred to Roberto Soriano in a deeper midfield role.
  • Carlos Bacca is carrying a knock, but should start, with Javi Calleja unlikely to make many changes after last weekend’s win.

Match Facts

Valenciahave been winning at both half time and full time in 5 of their last 6 home matches (La Liga).

Valenciahavewon 5 of their last 6 home matches (La Liga).

There have been over 2.5 goals scored in 5 of Valencia‘s last 6 home games (La Liga).

Valenciahavescored at least 2 goals in 5 of their last 6 home matches (La Liga).

Prediction

  • Valencia are still unbeaten at Mestalla this season in all competitions, with Marcelino’s men looking to end 2017 with another home victory.
  • Los Che are in desperate need of three points, given that they have recently fallen to consecutive away defeats in league action. For the first time in a while, they have dropped to third place in La Liga.
  • Villarreal ended a three-match losing streak in La Liga with a narrow 1-0 win against Celta Vigo last weekend. The Yellow Submarine are looking for further points to keep them afloat in the Europa League places.
Prediction:

Valencia logo Valencia

2

1

Villarreal
Villarreal logo

Juventus vs Roma : Match Preview & Prediction

Team News

  • Paulo Dybala scored in midweek and might be included in the starting XI here after a couple of games on the bench.
  • Juventus short at right-back after another injury to Mattia De Sciglio. Meanwhile, Gianluigi Buffon will watch from the stands as he is still struggling with a muscular problem.
Roma
  • Patrick Schick has featured more regularly of late but is unlikely to start against Juventus.
  • Diego Perotti and Stephan El Shaarawy will instead join Edin Dzeko in the front three.

Match Facts

Roma have won 16 of their last 20 matches (Serie A).

Juventus are undefeated in 37 of their last 38 home matches (Serie A).

Juventus have won their last 7 home matches against Roma in all competitions.

Juventus have kept a clean sheet in their last 4 matches (Serie A).

Juventus have kept a clean sheet in 5 of their last 7 home matches against Roma in all competitions.

Prediction

  • Juventus leapfrogged Inter in the table last weekend and comfortably booked their name in the next round of the cup in midweek. The Bianconeri are now only one point off top as they look to put a stuttering start to the season behind them.
  • Roma are unbeaten in their last nine league matches, but were surprisingly eliminated in the Coppa Italia in midweek. Now they owe their fans a good performance here.
  • Juventus may deploy a similar game plan to the one used in the draw with Inter a few weeks ago and that could produce a similar outcome here.
Prediction:

Everton vs Chelsea : Match Preview & Prediction

Team News

Everton
  • Sam Allardyce could name the same XI that started Monday’s 3-1 win over Swansea, with the Everton boss having no fresh injury issues ahead of the welcome of Chelsea.
  • Ramiro Funes Mori, Ross Barkley, Seamus Coleman, Maarten Stekelenburg and Leighton Baines are all ruled out for the home side.
  • James McCarthy and Yannick Bolasie are both lacking fitness, though the latter will hope to make the bench for the first time in over a year.
Chelsea
  • Alvaro Morata is suspended after his yellow card in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Bournemouth, but Marcos Alonso returns from a ban of his own and should start.
  • David Luiz is sidelined for the Blues, while Charly Musonda is a doubt with a groin problem.
  • Eden Hazard should lead the attack in Morata’s absence, though Michy Batshuayi is also an option.

Match Facts

Chelsea have won 8 of their last 10 matches (Premier League).

Everton have won their last 4 home matches (Premier League).

Chelsea have won their last 4 matches against Everton in all competitions.

Everton have scored at least 2 goals in their last 5 home matches (Premier League).

Chelsea have scored at least 2 goals in their last 4 matches against Everton in all competitions.

Prediction

  • Everton’s form has picked up immensely since Sam Allardyce’s appointment, with the Toffees now unbeaten in five, winning four. They have won their last four home matches, but have lost their last four competitive meetings with Chelsea.
  • The Blues have won eight of their last 10 Premier League games and secured their spot in the next round of the Carabao Cup with a late win over Bournemouth, which should boost morale.
  • A month ago, you’d have backed Chelsea to win this, but Everton should have enough about them to secure a point.
Prediction:

Everton logo Everton

1

1

Chelsea Chelsea logo

Real Madrid vs Barcelona : Match Preview & Prediction

Team News

Real Madrid
  • Zinedine Zidane doesn’t have any fresh injury concerns heading into this game, with Raphael Varane back fit at centre-back.
  • Casemiro and Sergio Ramos return after suspension, with Isco and Gareth Bale battling to start in behind the front two.
  • Cristiano Ronaldo will be fit to start after training away from the group briefly this week, with Los Blancos not altering their formula much at all.
Barcelona
  • Thomas Vermaelen will continue at centre-back for the visitors, and the Belgian has looked solid recently.
  • Andres Iniesta was excellent against Deportivo last time out, and will start once again in midfield for Ernesto Valverde’s side.
  • Sergi Roberto should be preferred to Nelson Semedo at right-back, with Paulinho playing in close support of the front two.

Match Facts

Barcelonahavewon 20 of their last 23 matches (La Liga).

Barcelonahavescored at least 2 goals in 21 of their last 23 matches (La Liga).

Real Madridhavescored at least 2 goals in 20 of their last 23 home matches (La Liga).

Real Madridareundefeated in 30 of their last 32 home matches (La Liga).

Real Madridhave been winning at both half time and full time in their last 5 home matches (La Liga).

There have been over 2.5 goals scored in Real Madrid‘s last 4 home games (La Liga).

Real Madridhavescored at least 2 goals in their last 4 matches against Barcelona in all competitions.

Prediction

  • Real Madrid have spent the last week or so at the Club World Cup, with victories against Al Jazira and Gremio bound to have boosted their confidence levels.
  • Los Blancos have won their last five home games in La Liga, keeping four clean sheets during that time. Sevilla were recently demolished 5-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu and Zidane’s men have recaptured their mojo a little.
  • Barcelona are still protecting an unbeaten record at the summit of La Liga and haven’t lost a league game since a 2-0 loss at Malaga back in April.
Prediction:

Real Madrid logo Real Madrid

2

2

Barcelona Barcelona logo