El Clasico never a disappointment

“The most decisive Clasico of the 21st century.” At least, that’s how it’s being hyped in the Barcelona press. Though “dreaded” might be the more appropriate word.

Hyperbole is ever-present in the days, even hours, leading up to this excitable derby. But the “most decisive” in 25 years?

Real Madrid might point to March of 2007, when a 3-3 draw in a match they could not lose allowed them to win La Liga on their head-to-head record with the Catalan giants. Then there was the spring of 2015, when Barcelona’s 2-1 triumph saw them leapfrog a Madrid team that had set the pace since November.

Given the hatred between the two clubs, it’s almost pointless to define a Clasico in terms of the stakes. The stakes are always high. And, yes, this next one (Sunday, 9:15 a.m., TSN 3) could well determine the champions of Spain. That’s often the case, especially in the last 15 years or so.

What’s turned Sunday’s clash into an especially desperate matter is the absence of both Barcelona and Real Madrid from the upcoming Champions League Final — and Barcelona, in particular. Thus the “most decisive” headline.

On Tuesday, Los Cules were devastated to lose one of the competition’s instant-classic semifinals to Inter Milan, who equalized in the third minute of second-half stoppage time and scored the winner in the 99th minute.

They were not gracious in defeat.

Borrowing from Real Madrid’s playbook, they quickly blamed the referee for what defender Eric Garcia labelled a “cruel” defeat at San Siro. Manager Hansi Flick mused that Inter had benefited from “every decision that was 50/50,” and club president Joan Laporta fumed that the 7-6 aggregate loss was “basically due to refereeing decisions that harmed us.”

It’s perfectly normal for a team that came so close to victory to be stung by such a disappointing outcome, but the reality is that Barcelona remain obsessed with the result because their entire campaign now hangs in the balance.

A week ago they were four points clear in La Liga and confident of progressing to the Champions League Final. As El Clasico approaches, that Final is no longer a prospect and that four-point lead on Real Madrid seems somehow more narrow.

Where once they dreamt of a memorable double, now they dread a double disaster. The about-turn has been sudden, and they’re reeling.

Madrid are looking to take advantage.

Champions of Spain and Europe last term, Los Blancos basically threw in the towel after a 10-day period in which Arsenal put them out of the Champions League and Barcelona beat them in the Copa del Rey.

Predictably, they blamed this player and that manager, belly-ached about the officials, second-guessed their recruitment and then turned their attention to next season, as the current one was supposedly a wash.

Their much-publicized summer plans include a swoop for towering Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen, a move for Arsenal centre-back William Saliba and an offer for Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Florian Wirtz. Manager Carlo Ancelotti won’t be back, and it’s likely his replacement will be Xabi Alonso, who announced his Leverkusen exit on Friday.

Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold will shortly join on a free transfer, and there’s suddenly a chance he’ll be swapping the Premier League champions for La Liga’s title winners.

Of course, Madrid still have to capitalize on their archrivals’ fear and fatigue by winning Sunday at Montjuic. They’ll need Jude Bellingham to rediscover his form of a year ago, Kylian Mbappé to come through in a big moment and a makeshift defence to somehow keep Raphinha and Lamine Yamal at least partially at bay.

If they turn the match into a track meet, Barcelona could be in trouble. Then, it’s over to one of Espanyol, Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao to finish the job.

Conversely, and as Flick pleaded with his players at the club’s Joan Gamper training ground on Thursday, Barcelona need just a single, final effort to basically secure the title.

They won’t get it if they approach this Clasico with dread. Somehow, some way, they have to move on from Tuesday, block out the hyperboles and simply beat an opponent they’ve led in the standings all season long.

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