Three penalties, three goals for Lionel Messi and a red card record for Sergio Ramos. It was a wild edition of El Clásico, and one that got Barcelona back into the title race after they beat Real Madrid, 4-3.
El Clasico preview: A game to reverse everything?
Of course, that’s all just what’s happened up until this point, because everything can change on Sunday. A win for Barcelona at the Bernabeu could flip the script completely, putting all the pressure on Madrid in the Copa del Rey final in mid-April. And if Madrid come up short there? Well, assuming they can get by Borussia Dortmund in Champions League -- and they probably will, even if they’re reeling domestically -- they’re very likely to end up sealing a date with one of their domestic rivals or Pep Guardiola.
Ancelotti’s Madrid have been a revelation since that Clasico loss and have a treble in their sights, but they need to avoid defeat on Sunday first. A loss to Barcelona could turn Ancelotti from a hero into a goat quickly, which certainly isn’t the case for Martino. His situation is quite the opposite: Tata has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
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