They are known as Los Reyes Del Europa (“The Kings of Europe”) for a reason. Real Madrid just get it done, period, full stop, when it comes to continental competition. It was thrilling and enthralling last night, in Manchester, and the final result saw the current European champions knocked off, and the underdog Los Blancos moving on to the UEFA Champions League semifinals.
This weekend brings El Clasico, and with it, a chance for Madrid to re-establish rule at the home front.
El Clasico FYIs
Kickoff: Sun Apr. 21, El Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
FC Barcelona Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Real Madrid Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
La Liga Standing, Form: Real Madrid 1st, 78 pts, WWWWD FC Barcelona 2nd 70 pts WWWWD
Google Result Probability: Real Madrid 55% Draw 23% FC Barcelona 22%
A win doesn’t mathematically clinch the league title for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, but it does make that reality eventually inevitable.
Real Madrid Starting XI Prediction vs FC Barcelona
Andriy Lunin; Lucas Vaquez, Nacho Fernandes, Eder Militao, Federico Garcia; Eduardo Camavinga, Toni Kroos; Jude Bellingham; Rodrygo, Joselu, Vinicius Jr.
El Clasico Prediction: Real Madrid 1, FC Barcelona 1
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Twitter.