Real Madrid vs Barcelona: How will Neymar absence impact El Clasico?

The big news out of Spain last week was that of Neymar’s suspension. On the back of his red card - the first in his career since coming to Europe - in Barcelona’s 2-0 loss to Malaga, the Brazilian saw his ban extended from one match to three after sarcastically applauding the officials for the decision to hand him his marching orders in the defeat. His absence comes as a huge blow to the Blaugrana, with he the best rated player in Europe’s top five leagues this season with a WhoScored rating of 8.43. 

The issue now is how do Barcelona replace the Brazil international for El Clasico? Barcelona travel to the Bernabeu on Sunday after a disappointing week that saw them crash out of the Champions League at Juventus’ expense, while Real Madrid come into the tie with their tails in the air on the back of their progression to the next round Europe’s elite club competition. Neymar indeed impressed against Juventus, with his 13 dribbles the most in a Champions League match this season and his absence will undoubtedly hurt Barcelona. 

Neymar along with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have formed arguably the strongest attacking trio in world football and their offensive power has diminished by a third as a result of his ban. The 25-year-old ranks first for dribbles (143) and key passes (81) in La Liga this season, while only Luis Suarez (12) and Toni Kroos (11) have registered more assists than Neymar (10) in Spain’s top tier.  

It’s a real selection dilemma for head coach Luis Enrique, who started his side in a 3-4-1-2 formation in the 3-2 win over Real Sociedad, with Messi deployed behind Paco Alcacer and Suarez. Enrique, though, could opt against starting both Suarez and Alcacer on account of the considerable attacking threat Real Madrid pose. A three-man defence is still possible for the Barcelona head coach, but he’ll be keen to ensure his side don’t lose ground in the title race in the capital. 

Coming into this tie, Barcelona are three points behind Real Madrid, albeit having played a game more. Defeat would see the former fall six points behind the latter with five matches to go. The title wouldn’t be lost, but it’s a gargantuan gap that Barcelona would find difficult to make up. In this instance, then, damage limitation could be the order of the day for Enrique, who may instead look to flood the midfield to frustrate Real Madrid, soak up pressure and hit them on the counter. 

Indeed, no team has scored more counter-attacking goals than Barcelona (5) in La Liga this season while Enrique’s frontline is still strong despite Neymar’s absence. Messi (29) and Suarez (24) rank first and second in the La Liga goalscoring charts this season and with Real Madrid without Pepe and Raphael Varane, forcing Sergio Ramos to partner up with Nacho at the heart of the defence. Los Blancos’ backline have been far from solid this season, even with Pepe and Varane available, with Real Madrid keeping just one clean sheet in their last 13 competitive matches. 

Barcelona, while significantly weakened by Neymar’s absence, should still feel confident that they can hit the back of the net at the Bernabeu. That being said, the away side must be wary of the attacking threat Real Madrid carry. Cristiano Ronaldo will be high on confidence after putting five past Bayern over two legs, while Gareth Bale’s return to fitness is a huge boost, with Zinedine Zidane able to field his strongest attack if possible. 

That being said, the headlines will be dominated by Neymar’s absence in El Clasico, which is being streamed live on Bet365. The Brazilian has three goals and five assists in seven La Liga meetings with Real Madrid, so his unavailability is evidently a hammer blow in Barcelona’s pursuit of Zidane’s team. This swings the pendulum back into Real Madrid’s favour, who will view Sunday’s Clasico as a chance to move six points clear of the Blaugrana coming into the final stretch of the season in their bid to wrestle the title away from Camp Nou.