Battle royale for Real Madrid

Madird: Real Madrid head into Saturday’s blockbuster clash with Barcelona on the verge of crisis and in need of the world’s two most expensive players, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, to prove their worth.

Madrid, who host Barcelona in the 231st meeting between the Spanish giants, trail Barcelona by three points at the top of La Liga as their “Galacticos” have failed to fire, while Barca have hardly skipped a beat despite losing four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi to injury for the past two months.

When Madrid president Florentino Perez added Bale to a star-studded squad over two years ago, the Welshman and Ronaldo were supposed to form an unstoppable partnership.

Yet, since scoring in the Copa del Rey and Champions League finals in his debut season, Bale has endured a frustrating 18 months due to injuries, a lack of form and even Madrid's own demanding support turning on him.

When Rafael Benitez was appointed to replace the sacked Carlo Ancelotti amid much uproar from Madrid’s players and fans in June, he was given one specific task — to get the best out of Bale.

Yet, despite a promising start to the campaign in a new central role, a persistent calf injury has restricted Bale to just seven appearances in Madrid’s 15 games this season.

Moreover, Benitez’s men have tended to be better off without Bale, winning six and drawing twice in the games he didn’t feature compared to four wins, two draws and a defeat when he has.

By contrast, Ronaldo’s contribution to Madrid can’t be questioned, at least until recent weeks. The Portuguese has become the club’s all-time leading scorer in just his seventh season and won the Ballon d’Or in each of the past two seasons.

Yet, by his own remarkable standards, Ronaldo’s form has dipped this season. A return of 13 goals in 15 games would be sensational for most players, but there has been a worrying trend of those strikes coming in batches against weaker opposition.

Meanwhile, an unprecedented level of security will be put in place for Real Madrid’s huge clash with Barcelona in response to the deadly attacks on Paris a week ago.

The security threat to what is widely regarded as the biggest game in world football, with an estimated global television audience of 500 million, has even overshadowed the return of Lionel Messi for Barcelona after a two-month injury layoff.

Spanish government have promised a security presence of 2,400 police, stewards and emergency services at the Santiago Bernabeu.