SPORTS UPDATE - the el_ classico match begin

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  Barcelona

  
  

  

  Real Madrid

  Ronaldo's first touch is met with a chorus of boos from the Camp Nou faithful as he opens up his stride with a powerful run down the left-hand side. Dani Alves matches him all the way though and ends up winning possession with a solid challenge.
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  HERE WE GO! THE CLASICO IS UNDER WAY!
• The teams have made their way to the pitch and we are almost ready for kick-of! The Barcelona fans treat us to an outstanding display from the stands.
• Barcelona are undoubtedly the form team heading into the match tonight, but recent results rarely hold much significance in Clasico clashes. This was no more so the case than earlier in the season when Luis Enrique's men made an elecric start to the season, only to be defeated 3-1 at Santiago Bernabeu. Who will prove to be the star of the show?
• Just the one change for Barcelona and it comes in goal as Claudio Bravo returns to league duty in place of cup keeper, Marc Andre Ter Stegen. Ancelotti makes two alterations for Madrid as Keylor Navas and Lucas Silva are replaced by Iker Casillas and Toni Kroos.
• Real Madrid (4-3-3): Casillas; Carvajal, Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos, Isco, Modric; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.
• Barcelona (4-3-3): Bravo; Dani Alves, Pique, Mathieu, Alba; Rakitic, Mascherano, Iniesta; Neymar, Suarez, Messi.
• TEAM NEWS...
• Tonight we will have the honour of viewing two of the most potent attacking trios in world football. It will be Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar, versus Ronaldo, Bale, and Benzema, and with all the talent and goals that come from these players, you get the feeling that whoever shines the most out of these six will have a massive bearing on the overall result.
• Naturally, a lot of the focus on tonight's match will be on the two greatest players in the world and regular Ballon d'Or rivals, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese collected that particular individual honour before the turn of the year, but has saw his form slightly suffer in 2015 compared to his usual high standards. The Barca attacker, in contrast, has been in incredible form and has recently overtook his rival in the Liga goalscoring charts, with 32 goals to 30.
• The previous Clasico this season saw Real Madrid run out 3-1 winners at Santiago Bernabeu. With Luis Enrique still finding his feet as Barca boss, Los Blancos took advantage and grabbed all three points with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe, and Karim Benzema all getting on the scoresheet to seal the victory. This is the last league match between the two sides this season, but it is still a possibility that the Clasico rivals may still do battle in the Champions League, having recently dispatched of Schalke and Manchester City respectively to progress to the quarter-finals. Barcelona will face PSG in the last eight, while Real Madrid will come up against derby rivals, Atletico Madrid, but you wouldn't bet against a semi-final or final meeting between them.
• The Blaugrana are in a rich vein of form at the minute and have recorded nine wins out of their last 10 matches. This run has seem them catapult themselves over their Clasico rivals into first place, with Real Madrid having dropped off the pace with poor results against Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao. No matter the result this evening we may have a slightly better idea as to who is destined to be crowned champions.
• It is perhaps slightly early to discuss this clash as a title decider, but with the points gained and the potential momentum that could be built up with a victory, the eventual champions of La Liga may look back on the Clasico as a pivotal turning point of the season. Barcelona currently top the table with 65 points taken from 27 matches, and Real Madrid are narrowly behind on 64 points, having actually lead for a large portion of the campaign up until recent weeks.
• I'm Martin Macdonald, and it is my pleasure to take you through the action.
• That's right, it is Clasico time!