Embarrassed. Appalled. Downtrodden. All feelings Los Blancos are feelings after Barcelona delivered an annihilation that Jose Mourinho could have never seen coming. Recovering from such a thumping will be tough but if anyone can handle the adversity, it’s Mourinho. I’m trying to think of which player in a Real Madrid jersey had a good game and it’s tough to come up with one. Surprisingly, Casillas had a decent game, thanks to a couple of great instinct saves. Even after all the madness, El Clasico is only one fixture in a long campaign and Real Madrid sit only two points behind the Blaugrana. Sure, the loss is perplexing to most fans of the game. Sergio Ramos and Ricardo Carvalho picked up suspensions so they won’t be available for the contest and Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo are both doubtful for upcoming match, so it’ll be interesting to see who gets the starting nod. Expect often-criticized to Benzema to navigate the lone striker position, which is a tough pill for Mourinho to swallow.
Valencia have had a solid start to the campaign but still sit 10 points off the lead. No one is expecting the team to contend for a league title, especially with the lost of their two talisman David Villa and David Silva in the summer. However, the strike force should be motivated to get a result at the Santiago Bernabéu with former “Blanco” Roberto Soldado returning to his old stomping grounds (4 goals in the last 2 games). Aritz Aduriz has also had a decent start to the season thus far, notching 4 goals in 11 appearances for the club. Juan Mata will also be eager to get back to his old stomping grounds, where he grew up in the Real Madrid youth ranks. Mata has been on fire as of late and is starting to turn into the team’s leader with his blinding pace and recent knack for getting a goal or two. It’s as good a time as any to get a win at the Bernabéu with Madrid potentially still reeling from the devastation at Camp Nou and the injuries and suspensions piling up for the fixture.
I’m seeing Madrid dropping points here, but not the full 3. The side still has too much quality to lose at home to any team but Barcelona.
1-1 draw
Written by Chris Behrens, writer for SoccerProse.com
