El Classico: Xavi vs Anceloti, the six key battles that will decide

There will be important duels all over the pitch as Barcelona and Real Madrid face off for the first time this season

The first Clasico of the year arrives with the standard amount of tension and intrigue. These games are always pivotal — with the victor taking something of an upper hand in La Liga’s title race.

And this one will be much the same. Madrid lead Barcelona by one point atop the table, but the Blaugrana are yet to be beaten this year. Both teams are undeniably impactful going forward, but both have some defensive weaknesses that can certainly be exploited. For the first time in a while, these are two glaringly imperfect teams facing off.

For that reason, it could be a contest that comes down to individual moments of class. Barcelona, for example, will have to fear Jude Bellingham. Meanwhile, Madrid must prepare for the in-form Lamine Yamal. But it’s not just those two who can have the capacity to change the game. Rather, there are interesting contests on the turf and in the two dugouts that should make for a fascinating encounter.

Insight Media Sport Arena takes a look at some of the battles most likely to sway the first Clasico of the year…

1. Vinicius Jr vs Ronald Araujo (again!)

There aren’t too many good positional battles in individual positions in football anymore. Lionel Messi vs Sergio Ramos; Steven Gerrard vs Frank Lampard; even Jamie Carragher and Didier Drogba had a great rivalry every time they faced up against each other.

Vinicius and Araujo, then, is something of a throwback. With so much of Xavi’s focus on positional play and build-up patterns, it was odd that he elected to deploy Araujo, his starting centre-back, against Vinicius on the right side of defence in the Spanish Super Cup last year.

But it worked a charm. Vinicius, then in arguably the form of his life, was marked out of the game by the Uruguayan. And they have enjoyed a handful of entertaining battles since. Araujo got the best of the Brazilian in three straight contests in the middle of the campaign last season, but Vinicius ran riot in the Copa del Rey semi-final in April. And on Saturday, they shall meet again.

It might look different this time. With Jules Kounde injured, Araujo is likely to play centre-back. But Vinicius, too, is playing narrower this year — and the duo are likely to be matched up against each other once more. Vinicius isn’t in the same electric form as last season — a muscle injury has since his 2023-24 campaign get off to a slow start. But the bubbling rivalry is sure to deliver.

2. Jude Bellingham vs Oriol Romeu, Good luck, Oriol.

A cynic here might argue that Bellingham is yet to face top-tier opposition in his natural position for Madrid. After all, he was stuck awkwardly on the left when Madrid were nullified by a crafty Atletico Madrid side a month ago. A much-changed Napoli and overperforming Girona have presented challenges in their own right. But Barcelona are on another level.

And Romeu will hope to prove that. The destroyer has been solid this season at the base of an energetic Blaugrana midfield, filling the void left by Sergio Busquets admirably. But Bellingham is a different beast. For Romeu, the challenge might not be technical ability as much as the Englishman’s engine. The 32-year-old has never been known for his athleticism or mobility, and Bellingham’s ability to pick up the ball in space and make driving runs into the final third is arguably his biggest asset for this Madrid side. It won’t be a singular effort to stop him, but Romeu will have to try to rein in one of the world’s best.

3. Antonio Rudiger vs Robert Lewandowksi

One of the best duels of last season was Rudiger’s back and forth with Erling Haaland in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. The Norwegian, in the middle of one of the most prolific seasons in English footballing history, barely had a sniff against the German, who simply made life awkward for him throughout.

There wasn’t much finesse to the matchup. Rather, it was an old fashioned game of nudges, bumps, half-fouls and just enough shirt pulling to stay within the rules. City, of course, would go onto the final, but Haaland was still relatively quiet.

And Rudiger will hope to do the same again, this time against Lewandowski. This is a very different type of challenge, of course. Lewandowski is strong, but he isn’t the same freakish athlete that Haaland is. Instead, the Pole drifts around, finds pockets of space, and pounces on loose balls in the box. But Rudiger has plenty of experience against top forwards all over Europe. He can certainly be backed to make Lewandowski’s life awkward — especially with the striker just coming off an injury.

4. Lamine Yamal vs Eduardo Camavinga

This really wasn’t supposed to be the matchup here. If Ancelotti had his way, he wouldn’t be asking his centre-midfielder to step in at left-back once again. And for Xavi, asking a 16-year-old to play on the right isn’t ideal — no matter how good he is.

But it should make for a fascinating encounter. Camavinga is an excellent defender, who enjoys one-on-one duels, and will have very few qualms about getting stuck in, or giving the slight Yamal a hard time on the ball. However, the Barcelona teenager is so elusive, and in such electric form that Camavinga might not get close to him.

Yamal has been a vital creative presence for the Blaugrana so far this year. And he will need to be once again if Barca are to walk away with a result on Saturday.

5. Carlo Ancelotti vs Xavi

Xavi narrowly leads the Clasico head-to-head battle against Ancelotti, with four wins to the Madrid manager’s three. And although there has been a pair of blowouts — one from Barca in March 2022, and another by Madrid a year later — this has been a mostly even contest in recent years. Credit is certainly due for Xavi here. While Ancelotti has his favoured players and systems, Xavi has shown a willingness to tweak his tactics to nullify Madrid’s most immediate threats.

The switching of Araujo from centre-back to right-back, for example, helped Barca win the Super Cup in January 2023. Meanwhile, the deployment of Franck Kessie higher up the pitch in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg helped the Blaugrana snatch a 1-0 win.

Still, Ancelotti thrives off big games, proving immensely effective in his reluctance to change. Instead, the legendary Italian cultivates the right environments for success. He famously told his Madrid side to bring their kids to training the day before the 2022 Champions League final, and his laissez-faire approach to tactics has proved to be vital in his side’s recent success. Can that work once again? Or will Xavi have another trick up his sleeve?

6. The battle of the benches
   This is where the game can really be won or lost. And it’s a more even proposal than you might think. Madrid certainly have more options off the bench in midfield; Camavinga will likely play left-back, but that still means that Los Blancos will have one of Luka Modric, Federico Valverde or Toni Kroos to call upon. Their attacking options, though, are less pronounced, with only Joselu and Brahim Diaz ready to enter the fray.

Barca, maybe, have the advantage in that sense. The Blaugrana have been stuck with an injury crisis of sorts recently. Still, they will likely be able to call upon Ferran Torres, or even Pedri, for extra quality in the final third if needs be. And beyond that, Marc Guiu, La Masia’s latest star in the making, should be available.

Xavi will likely have the toughest time of things here; Lewandowski is likely to feature, but it’s unclear how much of the contest he can play. Meanwhile, Pedri, who has countless long-term injury issues, can’t necessarily be trusted with a heavy load, either. How long can the manager risk his big names for?