The pressure is most certainly on for El Clásico. But in a rare occurrence, the pressure is perhaps not on the players as much as it is on the coaches who stand in the Camp Nou dugout.
In pitting Xavi and Carlo Ancelotti up against one another, we see two contrasting figures. Xavi, jumping around his technical area with his arms waving, is a far more eye-catching spectacle on the sideline than Ancelotti, often stood still with one hand on his hip with the only movements coming as his jaw moves to chew his gum and his eyebrow raises at the odd key moment.
What they have in common is the tactical genius that is being calculated in their heads. Not since Pep Guardiola took on Jose Mourinho have we seen such tactical battles in El Clásico, despite the expertise of Luis Enrique, Zinedine Zidane and others having occupied the dugout.
With five Clásicos played between them, Xavi has the lead. And you could be forgiven for forgetting that Ancelotti has even been in the battle given the magnitude and importance of Xavi’s three victories compared to Ancelotti’s two.
The first was in the Spanish Super Cup, when Xavi barely had his feet under the table and took a far superior Real Madrid to extra-time before falling to defeat. Months later, a visit to the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu would end with a historic 4-0 humiliation of the LaLiga leaders.
This season’s visit was not so fruitful, with Real Madrid running out 3-1 winners as Barça barely got their foot into the tie, but the Spanish Super Cup final in January ended with the same scoreline in the opposite direction, feeling like a turning point. Most recently, Xavi ditched all elements of his style and philosophy to emerge from Chamartín with a smash-and-grab 1-0 victory.
Among the masterstrokes implemented by Xavi has been the decision to move Ronald Araujo out to right-back to single-handedly take on Vinícius Júnior. Since it was first trialled, in that 4-0 win in Madrid, Vini has had little to no impact in the fixture.
Another was the decision to move Gavi into the front three for the Spanish Super Cup final this year. He provides a link between midfield and attack which dislocated a midfield unable to keep up with the energy and intensity of a player half the age of Luka Modrić.
Carletto has had his moments too. Fede Valverde on the right wing in October 2022 was a masterstroke which exploited Alejandro Baldé’s weaknesses in as much depth as possible. Playing Modrić in a more conservative role behind the Uruguayan was key to keeping Ousmane Dembélé quiet too.
This Clásico has less room for invention. And it could be decisive in the LaLiga title race, as well as setting the tone for the same fixture in the Copa del Rey semi-finals in just a few weeks. If Xavi or Ancelotti have an ace up their sleeve, it could be the most decisive move of the season.