Not a meaningless Clasico

Injured Madrid captain Iker Casillas,out healing a broken hand,said he hoped the victory marked a turning point for Madrid with Barcelona.

The game at the Santiago Bernabeu transcends the league title race,which Barcelona has well in hand with a 12-point lead over second-place Atletico Madrid and Madrid a further four points adrift. Another dominant victory for Madrid could signal a shift in the balance of power between the two fierce rivals that Barcelona has had in its favor for the past five years.

Besides,theres no better way for Madrid to boost morale for its trip to United next Tuesday than a pair of strong showings against Barcelona. Madrid will visit United with their last-16 series poised at 1-1,giving the English club a slight advantage having already scored away from home.

We hope winning this series will mark a turning point for us and especially with Barcelona. We need to carry this win over to Manchester,where we also go in 1-1 and need to score while keeping a clean sheet. Manchester knows how to play football,it is a difficult ground, Casillas said.

Barcelona,meanwhile,is reeling after its worst week of results since former coach Pep Guardiola took over in 2008. Barcelona lost 2-0 at AC Milan in the first leg of its Champions League knockout series and six days later flopped to its biggest loss to Madrid at Camp Nou since a 2-0 defeat in April 2002.

Twenty head-to-head matches ago,a 4-1 loss in 2008 marked the end of the Frank Rijkaard era at Barcelona. The arrival of Guardiola,however,started Barcelonas most dominant run of its rivalry with Madrid,including a 6-2 win at Madrid and a 5-0 victory at Barcelona in the first clasico for Madrid coach Jose Mourinho.

But Mourinho looks to have finally figured out how to keep Messi in check and deactivate Barcelonas passing game by forging one of the most effective counterattacking teams in Europe.

This tactical advantage was perfectly clear on Tuesday. Barcelonas defense was off-balance with numerous players near Madrids area in a frustrated attempt to weave its signature passing web in close quarters. Madrid has only lost once in its past seven meetings with Barcelona.

Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta said his team has not been in its best shape recently and that it was time to reflect on what has so quickly gone so wrong.

We must recover the sensation of a team that is well structured and mistake-proof. Im convinced that we will do so.

In addition to tactics,health has become an issue for Barcelona. Messi had a fever on Wednesday and did not attend team practice,but the main problem for Barcelona is the absence of coach Tito Vilanova,who has been in New York since mid-January for treatment after having a tumor removed from his throat. JOSEPH WILSON

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