Barcelona [Spain], March 18 (ANI): The El Clasico - Barcelona vs Real Madrid - one of the most heated rivalries in the world of football is back. Barcelona will host Real Madrid on Monday in La Liga at Spotify Camp Nou.

Even with the absence of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, El Clasico is still considered the home of entertainment. Over the years this tie has produced some magical moments that fans are still able to recall within a span of seconds.

Expectations will be high especially for this encounter because the end result will play a crucial role in deciding the fate of La Liga. Barcelona currently sits at the top of the table with 65 points. Their arch-rivals Real Madrid are the only team that could threaten their chances of walking away with the League title. Even though the Los Blancos sit at the second position they still have to cover a huge gap. They currently have 56 points and are nine points behind the league leaders. With a victory, they can reduce the deficit to 6 points.

On the other hand, if Barcelona walks away with a victory they will be able to increase the gap upto 12 points, taking them far away from the grasp of any team. However, according to past results, the hosts have had a hard time against the visitors. In their last six encounters in La Liga Barcelona has lost five of them. Real Madrid has registered two consecutive victories in their last two visits to Camp Nou.

However, Barcelona will fancy their chances this time. They have the best defensive record in La Liga this season, they have not lost their last 12 home games in League this season. Even without some of their key players like Pedri, Xavi's Barcelona are more than capable to produce 3 points. They defeated Real Madrid 1-0 in the first leg of Copa Del Rey earlier this month.

On the other hand, Carlo Ancelotti will play every trick up his sleeve to stand victorious after 90 minutes. They are still fighting for European glory. Their next opponent in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals will be Chelsea. They are still hanging on in the race for La Liga and Copa Del Rey. In order to turn the season into success Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid has to pull off a string of victories in the coming weeks. (ANI)