Former Real Madrid chief says El Clasico is a 'race of the lame'

Former Real Madrid general manager Jorge Valdano is unimpressed by both Real and FC Barcelona this season. However, he still expects a big turnout at the upcoming El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The clash between La Liga leaders Barcelona and Real Madrid on Sunday has been labelled a "race of the lame" by Valdano. The reason for such a title is that both sides are suffering from inconsistent form and injury troubles.

Zinedine Zidane's Real Madrid appeared to recover from an early-season slump when they overtook Barca at the top of the La Liga standings during a period that saw plenty of unrest in the Catalan side. Their manager, Ernesto Valverde, was sacked and Quique Setien was brought in as his replacement at Camp Nou.

But, Barcelona reclaimed the top spot the Spanish capital side suffered several a loss against Levante last weekend. Both sides failed to impress in the ongoing UEFA Champions League, as the Catalans struggled to a 1-1 draw in Napoli, while Madrid tasted defeat at home against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.

This season, Real has consistently struggled to convert their scoring chances. Their incapabilities showed when they suffered a shocking 1-0 loss against mid-table Levante. This marked the eighth time during this season that Los Blancos failed to score.

During the early phases of the ongoing season, Karim Benzema single-handedly carried the load of his team, as the Frenchman netted 13 times in the first 16 La Liga matches. In the process, he masked his team's overall weakness inside the penalty area.

However, since Christmas, Benzema could register just one league goal that helped Madrid in winning last month's local derby against Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona, on the other hand, has been struck with injuries. Reports claim that the Spanish league leaders will miss their first-choice full-backs, Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba, because of respective injuries. Nelson Semedo and Junior Firpo will replace them on the field. Gerard Pique is also in doubt, as he hurt his ankle during Tuesday's Champions League draw at Napoli.

Setien doesn't have plenty of options to support his key player Lionel Messi, because both Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele are suffering from long-term injuries.

As of now, 13 games are remaining for each side and Barcelona is leading Real Madrid by only two points. In such circumstances, El Clasico at the Bernabeu might play a pivotal role in deciding the course of the La Liga title race.