There was a time when the Anoeta stadium - now Reale Arena - was little less than a black hole for Barcelona. There was no way to escape from there without a crisis between chest and back. Pep Guardiola, Tito Vilanova, Gerardo Martino or Luis Enrique Martínez, who even came to haunt the dismissal after a defeat in San Sebastián that led to a confrontation with Messi, never came to decipher the enigma of the Royal Society in its stadium. Not so Ernesto Valverde. The current Barca coach broke a negative streak of seven seasons (two draws and five losses) to start two wins in his two league visits as Barca bench foreman (2-4 in January 2018 and 1-2 in September 2018).

The good fortune of this Royal Society of Imagino Alguacil, in Champions positions thanks to a fourth position that insists on defending, invites Valverde to take precautions. Not only before the psychological whirlwind of the next classic, which has been cannibalizing sports news in recent weeks - "we will speak at the time," insisted the coach on the eve - but because the prize to win is no small thing . A triumph, in addition to allowing Barcelona to defend the leadership against Real Madrid, would serve to stabilize the Barça good moment after the turbulence suffered in the first three months of competition. The azulgrana, in fact, aspire to thread the seventh consecutive victory (Celta, Leganés, Dortmund, Atlético de Madrid, Mallorca and Inter) . A run in which the team has started home wins in Butarque, the Metropolitan and the Giuseppe Meazza in Milan.

The good dynamics that Barcelona has acquired, beyond the growing adaptation of Griezmann to the trident, responds largely to the touches that Valverde has been introducing in his praetorian guard, especially the inclusion of Rakitic as an anchor in the center of the field together Sergio Busquets and De Jong, and the final return of Sergi Roberto to the right lane during the absence due to Semedo's injury.

The Portuguese side, in fact, received the medical discharge on Friday along with Jordi Alba. Both entered the call and oppose counting on minutes. Especially Alba, whose return to the call led to the discarding of who was holding his job, a June Firpo who has not taken advantage of his opportunities . Wagué was not enlisted either. Arthur Melo, meanwhile, continues in the infirmary suffering from discomfort in the pubis that further away him from the classic.

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  • Real Madrid
  • Sergio Busquets
  • Ernesto Valverde
  • Atlético de Madrid
  • Pep Guardiola
  • Jordi Alba
  • Majorca
  • First division

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