El Clasico: Messi desperate to lift Cristiano Ronaldo curse

FC Barcelona captain Lionel Messi will be on a mission when his side faces Real Madrid in the second El Clasico of the 2020/21 La Liga season. The Argentine will be desperate to add to his goal tally after failing to score in any El Clasico encounter in La Liga since Cristiano Ronaldo left Spain in 2018.

Messi already has 23 goals so far this season, but he failed to add his name to the scoreboard when Barcelona lost 1-3 to Real Madrid when they hosted the first Clasico in 2020. Messi's El Clasico drought stretches back 6 matches in total, with his last Clasico goal dating back to the 2017/18 season when Ronaldo was still playing for Los Blancos. It wasn't a great result for them back then either, as Barcelona only managed a 2-2 draw at the Camp Nou.

Messi has only scored 5 times in his last 17 El Clasico appearances. That is a disappointing number especially for the six-time Ballon d'Or winner.

Tonight, Messi may be facing Real Madrid for the last time as a Barcelona player. He wanted to leave the club last summer, and was only held back by the massive release clause in his contract. His deal expires at the end of this season, and it remains to be seen if new Barca president Joan Laporta can convince him to stay.

Either way, Messi will want to make a big impression when Barcelona visits Real Madrid tonight. The Catalan giants have been suffering a crisis all season, with controversies exploding both on and off the pitch. However, manager Ronald Koeman has managed to somehow manufacture a resurgence in the final stages of the season. They are now only a point behind leaders Atletico Madrid in La Liga, and tonight's Clasico will prove to be a very crucial match.

Real Madrid is currently sitting in third place n the table, just two points behind Barcelona. If they win tonight, they will gain massive momentum towards their title defence. Messi will be wanting to do everything he can to stop that from happening.