5 Reasons to Watch El Clasico

Unbeaten domestically, Luis Enrique's side are on a roll, and they're fighting to regain the crown they last won in the 2012-13 season. Granted, this is always a match that carries an overbearing weight of expectation, but this time, with Los Blancos having lost twice already, the pressure is on Carlo Ancelotti's charges to stop the gap becoming a disheartening seven. Home field is a plus, but it'll take more than that to get all three points.

Eight weeks without letting a goal slip past them in the league, they've really made huge strides defensively under Luis Enrique. In fact, they're the only club in any of the "Big Six" leagues to do so this season. No doubt, keeping Toni Kroos, Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale quiet will be their biggest test, but it'll be intriguing to see what sort of tactics they adopt against such an aggressive counter-attacking team.

Cases have been made for some of the other European derbies, but in all seriousness, with both clubs two of the biggest superpowers in world football, nothing comes close to rivaling its pull. A clash of ideologies, history, footballing iconography and two of history's most watched players makes this more than just a match -- it's a war. Tensions, as always, will be high, but so too will the excitement and drama.

Four months out of action for his new club, he's been training and playing with their "B" team instead, so it's still hard to question his fitness. Confirmed to feature, the Uruguayan could well score on his debut, and what a feeling it would be if he did. For neutrals, it's going to be fun watching him back at the top level, because despite his antics and controversies, he remains one of the best players in the world.

Lionel Messi is closing in on Telmo Zarra's long-standing record of 251 La Liga goals -- in fact, he needs just one more to equal it, but knowing the diminutive Argentine, he'll try his best to surpass it. Also in sterling form is Cristiano Ronaldo, who's looking to score in his 11th-consecutive game, a feat he has never achieved. He's also out to increase his 15 league goals. Needless to say, this match looks like one for the history books.