The world will be off for a treat on Saturday (Dec. 3) as the El Clasico takes the center stage with Barcelona going for a must-win game against La Liga leader Real Madrid.
The Catalans need to avenge their lost to the Los Blancos last April when Real Madrid crushed Barcelona right at the heart of Camp Nou.
But that would not be easy.
Real Madrid is at the highest level of their game with 32 winning streak across all competitions - La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey. The team is also six points ahead of Barcelona in La Liga Santander 2016/2017 Season.
On the other hand, Luis Enrique's squad was held to draws in its last two league outings against Malaga and Real Sociedad. It also failed to secure a win at Copa del Rey this week against third-tier Hercules, 1-1.
The good news for Barcelona is, Andres Iniesta, after being absent for months due to injury, will be back in time for El Clasico this Saturday at Camp Nou.
Moreover, Barcelona could capitalize the absence of Real Madrid striker Gareth Bale and midfielder Toni Kroos due to injuries.
Ronaldo, Messi Showdown
Among the highlights of El Clasico is the showdown of the two greatest players in the world - Leonil Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The duel is an interesting aspect because of their world-class quality, and their constant competition to be the best player in the world. For El Clasico all-time scoring record, Ronaldo remains at the top with 21 while Messi has 16.
How Big is the Rivalry?
When El Clasico is on, the world will be watching. In April 2016, this Barcelona-Real Madrid clash was aired in more than 90 countries around the world, according to ESPN.
El Clasico has over 400 million television viewers as compared to the 160 million of Superbowl 49. On match attendance, El Clasico drew 99,264 crowd in April as compared to Superbowl 50's 71,088.
This derby attendance is way above than Euro 2016 Final (75,868), 2014 World Cup Final (74,738), Manchester United vs Manchester City (64,943), and Manchester United vs Liverpool (59,606).
