El Clasico, arguably the greatest rivalry in sports, is the perfect way to begin the 2017-18 football season. Barcelona and Real Madrid play in the first leg of the 2017 Spanish Super Cup.
After the first El Clasico match in Miami, the fans are hoping that this next installment is just as good as the last. However, Barcelona and Real Madrid are playing for a trophy to begin the new football season. The Spanish Super Cup always begins the new season of Spanish football. It is even bigger this year because it’s El Clasico: arguably the best rivalry in sports. As always, both teams bring the biggest stars in the beautiful game to the fore front.
For Barca, the team brings back Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi to lead the attack for the Blaugrana under new manager Ernesto Valverde. Despite losing Neymar, it’s pretty great if you still have the Uruguayan and Argentine superstar. The biggest question is who will be the third starter on the front line for Barca? Gerard Deulofeu showed well against Chapecoense and could get the nod again. However, losing Neymar could really show against a very high quality Madrid team.
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As for Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo is set to make his first start of the season. The Portuguese superstar hasn’t done much over the course of this preseason. However, he did have a brief appearance in Madrid’s UEFA Super Cup triumph over his former club, Manchester United. The rivals have a very talented midfield with Toni Kroos, Mateo Kovacic, Casemiro, and Luka Modric in the fold. Despite that, Modric is suspended for this match. Overall, Zinedine Zidane has an excellent team with talented choices.
Barcelona will certainly have their work cut out for them over this two-leg playoff. Luckily for the Blaugrana, the first leg of the playoff is at Camp Nou. The fans will certainly appreciate and cheer for their team to pull through what has been a mess of a summer. With Lionel Messi in the fold, Barca has the ultimate equalizer. Messi made an impact in the last competitive El Clasico. He scored his 500th goal in second half stoppage time at the Bernabeu to at least make Real Madrid sweat before they won the league.
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Overall, El Clasico will not disappoint. The talent on the pitch will be fun to watch. It is a perfect opener to what is sure to be a dramatic and exciting league season. Barcelona will be tested over the course of the next few weeks. They will need to make a decision on what to do with the money received in the Neymar transfer. In the end, the summer has been bleak, but a Spanish Super Cup victory would help heal the wounds for the time being.