With the Classico approaching fast, I thought it would be adequate to share some curious/interesting facts. Closer to matchday, I'll writer a more complete prediction.
Anyway, here are the facts:
1-The match will be played in the exact same day as last season. Real Madrid will travel to Camp Nou on 29 November again.
2-Last season, Real Madrid also held a one point lead before the first Clásico. It was on matchday 12 and Real led with 28 points, while Barcelona had 27 from eight wins and three draws. Barcelona won the Clásico and took the lead, eventually claiming the trophy.
3-Barcelona are on a similar run to the one they had in their glorious 2008/2009 season, where, after losing five points in the first few matches, they won 18 and tied one in their following 19 matches, including a 2-0 home win in the Clásico, on their way to an unprecedented sextuple. Will history repeat itself?
4-Guardiola has never dropped points against Real Madrid. In fact, with Guardiola in charge of Barcelona, Real Madrid have never scored at Camp Nou.
5-Cristiano Ronaldo has never scored against Barcelona in five matches (three with Manchester United and two with Real Madrid). The Portuguese player might the one of the top-5 players in the world, but Barcelona's defense never had any trouble turning him into a non-factor. In fact, only once did Ronaldo's teams scored against Barcelona: Paul Scholes in 2008 at Old Trafford. In the other four matches, Ronaldo's teams couldn't score a single goal.
6-Lionel Messi has never scored against Mourinho-oriented teams in five matches. This is, however, a misleading stat. In 2005/2006, Barcelona eliminated Mourinho's Chelsea from the Champions League and an 18-year-old Lionel Messi was decisive; he terrorized Del Horno and got him sent off in the first leg, while being Barcelona's most active player throughout the tie (even more so than Ronaldinho).
7-Lionel Messi has scored seven goals in eight Clásicos. Casillas is Messi's favorite victim, right after Palop (11 goals). Being arguably the best goalkeeper in the world is irrelevant when you face Lionel Messi.
8-José Mourinho has never won at Camp Nou. The Portuguese manager has played five times at Camp Nou and two draws are the best he ever got. In these five matches, Mourinho's team have only had eight shots on target.