El Clasico: 3 reasons Real Madrid will defeat Barcelona

The countdown is almost over, the stage is nearly set, and El Clasico is upon us at long, long last. Spanish football's two biggest clubs prepare to do battle at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Real Madrid hosting Catalan challengers Barcelona, in their first league meeting of the 2015-16 season.

As always, the stars shine bright for both these teams, with players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Gareth Bale, and Luis Suarez all locking horns in what is, perhaps, the toughest league fixture in the world.

The sides are chosen, and, in the end, the Madridistas will celebrate once more as Real Madrid begins its title charge with a win over the Blaugrana.

Here are three reasons why Rafa Benitez's side will stand victorious:

Lionel Messi can't and won't be a factor

OK, sure, maybe, just maybe El Clasico will be graced by the presence of the almighty Lionel Messi, who could make his recovery just in time to take on Real Madrid. It's possible. Who knows? The more important question, frankly, is ... who cares?

Messi has been battling a knee ligament tear since September, but there are signs he can make his return right on time for El Clasico. It doesn't really matter, though, as players who endure extended injury spells and rush back hardly perform at the level they are accustomed to.

If this fixture were a mid-to-low table league match, Messi might have some influence. But, it's not. This is Real Madrid. Messi, hobbling or otherwise, will need to best the likes of Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, and Pepe in a Madrid team that has been criticised for playing too defensively.

Does Barcelona need Messi to win games? Nope. Do they need Messi to defeat Real Madrid? You bet.

Barcelona has changed under Luis Enrique

This will be the first El Clasico in the 21st century without Iker Casillas and Xavi Hernandez, as both teams undergo a period of transition.

For Barcelona, that transition meant tweaking the tiki-taka football introduced by Pep Guardiola. Enrique found success by transforming Barcelona's midfield three from a pass-and-pass-and-pass head-spinner to a defensive-minded, feed-the-striker trio combination. It worked, and Barcelona won the treble.

That's all good and well, of course, but the problem is there are very few teams that start a powerful front three against Barcelona. Nowadays, Barcelona shepherds one or two strikers over to wide areas and doubles down with full-backs and midfielders in support of the central defenders. But, in that system, the assumption is that there isn't a third forward capable of punishing the defenders.

Any three of Real Madrid's Bale, Ronaldo, Isco, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez in tandem could create plenty of room to exploit holes in Barcelona's defence, and, if accommodated for, could choke the flow of passes up top for Barcelona's forwards. How well Benitez can expose those weaknesses will determine the winner here.

The Cristiano Ronaldo doubters talked too much

In the last few months, the anti-Ronaldo brigade has said a lot of mean things. Some say Neymar is now a better footballer; others have pointed to his status of celebrity as some sort of negative contribution; media types criticised his movie relentlessly; and, for his part, Ronaldo fed his haters by declaring himself the best in the world. In fact, he likes the chatter.

To put it simply, Ronaldo's haters have spoken. They've had their say, and then some. Now it's time for the Portuguese icon to silence them once more.

This isn't Radamel Falcao we're talking about. This is Cristiano Ronaldo. To brush him aside when he's healthy and hungry is foolhardy at best. When Madrid's hat-trick hero scores three against Barcelona on Saturday, maybe give his movie another chance, too. Who knows? It might be enjoyable, as the tune and the tide changes on the man once more.