It's that time of the year again! The biggest match of club football in the world is set to take place again. The venue Camp Nou would come alive as Real Madrid and Barcelona face-off in the epic El Classico encounter. But today's match has added significance since both teams are tied for the first spot in the La Liga standings with 35 points each.
This match was scheduled to take place in October but due to some issues had to be postponed. But the delay has worked in the favour of both teams as they have gained form in the meantime and enter the match with greater confidence.
For the Madrid side, the emergence of two highly-talented youngsters has greatly helped their cause. 21-year old Fede Valverde from Uruguay and 18-year old Rodrygo from Brazil have been brilliant for the team. The Uruguayan has shown tremendous skills as a midfielder while the Brazilian has added sharpness to the forward line.
The chink in the armour of Los Blancos is the left defender's position where they don't have a regular player available at the moment. In their last match, the job of holding this position was taken up by Nacho Fernandez.
On the other side, Barcelona have been bolstered by the arrivals of Frenkie de Jong and Antoine Griezmann and their continuing stint with the side. Barca have implemented their distinctive style of football, which emphasizes passing, to good effect. The return to the side of Jordi Alba and to the form of Ivan Rakitic will also help their cause.
Of course, the star attraction would be none other than the legendary Lionel Messi. His form could make or break the Barca side.
Timings
The match begins at 2 PM GMT and 3 AM SGT (December 19).
TV listings
USA: beIN Sports
Canada: beIN Sports Canada
France: beIN Sports France
UK: Eleven Sports UK
Germany: DAZN DACH
Singapore: beIN Sports
Japan: WOWOW
South Korea: SPOTV
