Real Madrid v Barcelona 2nd March

Real Madrid won 3-1 at Barcelona in the Spanish cup during the week to reach the final.

Cristiano Ronaldo is in great form at the moment while Lionel Messi looks tired and could do with a rest.

This clasico will kick off at 4pm on Saturday but won't be shown live on Sky as it clashes with the Premier league.

Any comments or predictions?

Line ups

REAL MADRID:
Diego Lopez, Varane, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Coentrão, Kaká, Benzema, Essien, Modric, Callejon, Morata…

Subs: Adán, Khedira, Cristiano Ronaldo, Özil, Carvalho, Arbeloa, Higuaín

BARCELONA:
Valdes, Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba, Busquets, Thiago, Iniesta, Villa, Messi, Pedro…

Subs: Pinto, Puyol, Cesc Fabregas, Song, Adriano, Alexis, Tello

Ronaldo doesn't start todays clasico to give him a rest before Real Madrid's CL trip to Man Utd next week.

HT

Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona
1-0 Benzema 6'
1-1 Messi 16'

Well, no feeling at the momnet, just not used to watching Barca beaten so often. Although we should have had that penalty in the end obviously, the ref sucked....overall we were better this game, but still Real was on top in many areas. We have to defend set pieces better, we conceded twice now.

When u r in a slump things tend to not go your way, strange...but there are positives, we played much better....it just seems Roura doesnt have the same effect on the team and tactically not as good? I feel Adriano should get more chance, I hope he starts the next game vs Milan.

No Xavi is a huge miss...and Macherano not playing well this season as usual.... and Messi apart from the goal, just not himself, crowded out again.... Villa did well, but not enough....

Btw Pepe is such a fuking dirty slim, hes just a complete piece of shet, Mourinho put him there like a destoryer again, just kick and foul and get cheap shots on our players, shame to be a footballer Lol!

Thats made things a bit closer in the league.... although we just gotta hang on and get back up asap, since the key is to let the slump be as short as possible.... Milan next, Im still confident...

FT

Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona
1-0 Benzema 6'
1-1 Messi 16'
2-1 Ramos 82'

Real Madrid beat Barcelona for a 2nd time in just 5 days!

The Catalans also had keeper Victor Valdes sent off in what could be his last clasico if he is leaving in the summer.

Will comment more on the game when I have seen the highlights.

Any thoughts on todays Real Madrid victory?

Twice in a week .

barca looked poor in the second half. needed an in form xavi to play. expected more from thiago. they all need a good rest before the milan game coz i think theyll need four or five goals in that. hopefully theyll hit form then

I can understand Barcelona's players being upset at not being awarded that clear penalty at the end of the game
but the way Victor Valdes reacted was a disgrace and I hope he is banned for a long time for acting like a thug and hooligan.

Any more comments on Saturdays clasico?

Valdes has always been bad tempered.... I hope we find a better replacement actually

id say he might have lost it coz it might be his last clasico and he wanted to end it with a win. he'll be hard to replace. cant think of another top keeper whos as good with his feet and you need to be to play for barca. hope somehow he doesnt leave

If i'm not mistaken Valdes said he would leave when his contract runs out which will be in the summer of 2014...it depends if Barca would want to cash in on him for him to leave this summer.

Pepe Reina is better with his distribution than Valdes,although i'd say Valdes is a little better overall...Reina would be a perfect replacement and he knows Barca well having been a former keeper of theirs.

Hopefully though this doesn't happen..

Shame again on the Real Madrid racists who abused Daniel Alves at the Bernabeu on Saturday afternoon.

Don't these morons realise that they have Black players in their own team and how do you think they must feel?

Again when is the Spanish Football Federation going to punish Los Blancos as its not just a small but a large number of fans behaving this way.

it makes woder, hams, what prompts you to post the racist background of a match everytime? and why are you so indignant over the issue everytime as if everything is supposed to be the other way?

as for the topic, a meaningless win in a meaningless match, that's how it can be described. but the era indeed seems to be coming to an end which was always bound to happen one day, and we all know it.

i dont think the eras coming to an end. every team has a blip now and then it just happens that barcas has coincided with them playing 2 top teams during it

time will show, of course. but the fact team are not afraid of them anymore is undeniable.

Sad ,sad young man!
A more depressing post i am unlikely to see this entire week!

whats wrong with my post. theres no way barca lose 3 1 at home to madrid and twice in a row if they are on form. your the only sad man here and everyone will agree with me. i read some of your sad posts on the north london derby saying arsenal made spurs look a second rate team in the first thirty minutes. well if they did barca made arsenal look a third rate team in the first 30 a couple of years back. you say bale scored out of nothing. but when van persie really does score out of nothing you change your tune

Please do not discuss the North London derby here.

This topic is only to chat about the clasico which Real Madrid won 2-1.

There were enough incidents in that game alone to fill up a whole newspaper.