Real Madrid vs. Barcelona: 3 key battles to watch

Here, we examine the key matchups that will play a significant role in determining who emerges victorious from Saturday's El Clasico clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Sergio Busquets vs. James Rodriguez (or Isco, Benzema)

While it's not yet clear which central attacking midfielder Rafa Benitez will utilize against Barcelona (if, at all), considering that James Rodriguez will be only 48 hours removed from a flight from Colombia ahead of El Clasico. Isco could start in Madrid's midfield, as could Casemiro.

Then there exists the possibility that Karim Benzema could miss out, throwing Madrid's starting XI into the realm of the unknown.

But, whatever and whoever ends up playing in Madrid's midfield trio, the battle will mostly be fought, for better or for worse, against Sergio Busquets, who has been an absolute force this season with the Blaugrana.

Besides putting in a rare display against England, where the Spanish midfielder recorded 54 perfect passes for a 100 percent pass accuracy, Busquets has been dominant in his defensive duties.

"He is a unique player. He is the most complete and, for me, best midfielder in the world without a doubt," Barcelona manager Luis Enrique said of Busquets. "He is a fundamental player for us, not just for his football intelligence but because he can play in any position and play at a very high level."

Gareth Bale vs. Jordi Alba

Under Luis Enrique, Barcelona has evolved its tiki-taka strategy and has become a different, if not altogether stronger and more ruthless side for it. A midfield trio of Busquets, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi has now become a tandem of the first two and Ivan Rakitic, as Xavi has transferred to the Qatari league.

This new trio operates with a marshal-out system, whereby forwards are pushed wide and doubled-up on by the team's full-backs. Which brings us to Gareth Bale and Jordi Alba; there won't be a clear path to goal with Barcelona's midfield as it is, so Bale will need to beat Alba 1-on-1 in order to find a whiff at goal.

Why's that? Because beating Alba means beating Javier Mascherano; the two have been suspect on eight of the 12 league goals Barcelona has conceded this season. Whether it's exposed space, poor clearances, or lack of speed, a through pass between Alba and Mascherano yields the best chance for Real Madrid to score.

We'd be calling it a defensive crisis if not for the fact that Barcelona score so often that poor defensive mistakes are buried in results like a 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano ... which brings us to our final key battle.

Neymar vs. Cristiano Ronaldo

For a very long time, there have been two constants in football: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. They are the two best players in the world, and the two star as the marquee matchup for each El Clasico match in the post-Ronaldinho era.

This time, it's not Messi versus Ronaldo, though - Neymar has stolen the spotlight on the days leading up to this, the 231st El Clasico encounter, and could very well be the key figure in winning this match for Barcelona. Messi may or may not be back in time to play and, as such, all eyes will be on the Brazilian wonder at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Neymar, simply put, is on fire. His 11 goals in 10 games took what should have been a disaster at the Camp Nou in Messi's torn knee ligament and turned it into an afterthought. Ronaldo, by contrast, has been struggling. He scored five goals against Espanyol but hasn't looked like himself in recent weeks.

We might just see Ronaldo dethroned on Saturday, as Neymar continues his rise to the top of world football; or, those watching could bare witness to the resurgence of a man who has always, always had his doubters. And so we wait.