Bale Could Start for Real Madrid in Clásico

The attention will understandably be on the newcomers Saturday as the Brazilian star Neymar and the Welsh wing Gareth Bale are set to play key roles in their first Barcelona-Real Madrid Clásico game. But while Neymar works his way into the Barcelona attack and Bale eases into the Madrid midfield, the long-running comparison between their top teammates, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, continues unabated.

The scoring of Messi and Ronaldo has driven the Clásico in recent years, and this season has been more of the same. Messi enters Saturday’s showdown with 12 goals in 11 games — a remarkable rate, yet one that still falls short of Ronaldo’s pace of 15 goals in 12 games.

Ancelotti: We have no special plan for Neymar

The Real Madrid boss believes it is futile to focus on stopping individuals in Saturday's Clasico and admits he is happy to see Barcelona earmarked as favourites.

Carlo Ancelotti has ruled out any specific tactical plans to nullify the threat of Neymar in Saturday's Clasico clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The Brazilian is poised to make his debut appearance in Spain's most anticipated fixture, but Ancelotti believes it would be futile to focus on a plan to stop the 21-year-old when the Blaugrana are blessed with a wide array of attakcing talent.

Cruyff: Barcelona are Clasico favourites

The Dutch icon believes his former club hold the upper hand over Real Madrid ahead of Saturday's mouthwatering clash at Camp Nou.

Former Barcelona player and coach Johan Cruyff says home advantage should give the Catalan giants the edge over arch-rivals Real Madrid in Saturday's Clasico.

The Blaugrana have won their last 19 Liga games at Camp Nou since a Cristiano Ronaldo double secured a 2-2 draw for the Blancos over a year ago, and Cruyff thinks that formidable record will help the hosts secure a crucial victory.