Real Madrid find inspiration from Camp Nou visits

Some teams struggle in adverse situations while others seem to thrive in them. Real Madrid is one of those clubs who are motivated when the going gets tough. They are capable of overcoming the most insurmountable challenges and yet come unstuck against more modest opponents. That is the eternal paradox of an unpredictable club. The bigger and more difficult the test, the more concentration and intensity they apply.

On Sunday, Ancelotti’s team visit Camp Nou, where only one team, Bayern Munich, have won this season (0-3 on Matchday 5). Madrid won’t be put off by that statistic. In fact in recent history, they have fared quite well at Barca’s stadium - just one defeat in the last nine visits. One defeat in eight years.

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Madrid last came away from Camp Nou as the losing side five years ago. A humbling 5-1 mauling that signalled the end of Julen Lopetegui’s brief reign as coach - he bid the players farewell after the game and was sacked the following day to be replaced by Santiago Solari. That result left Madrid ninth in the table, seven points behind Barça although they managed to make up ground and ended the season in third, 17 points behind the champions, eliminated in the Copa del Rey semi-finals (by Barcelona) and in the Champions League Round of 16 (by Ajax at the Bernabéu). For Madrid, it was a year to forget.

Barcelona, happy hunting ground

But since then, zero defeats at Camp Nou. Real Madrid registered two straight draws followed by two victories. Six goals for and three against. They have suffered just two reverses in the Ciudad Condal since March 2015. Since then, nine Clásicos have been played at Camp Nou and only one has been won by Barça (the 5-1 in October 2018), with a remaining balance of four draws and four Madrid victories. In terms of goals, 15 for Real Madrid and 13 for Barcelona (five of those in the same game).

The nine most recent Clásicos at Camp Nou

The run began on 2 April 2016, 2,541 days ago. A fiercely-fought Clásico which Real Madrid won thanks to a late Cristiano Ronaldo goal. The following season, Ramos salvaged a point with a header in injury time (1-1). That was followed by the first leg of a Spanish Super Cup - a relatively placid evening for Zidane’s team, who cruised to a 1-3 win in Barcelona then finished it off with a 2-0 win at the Bernabéu). Then came a a match which produced four goals and one red card (for Sergi Roberto; it ended 2-2). Right after that, the infamous 5-1.

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Barça and Madrid played out a 1-1 stalemate in the Copa del Rey semis in February 2019 but the blaugranas prevailed, winning the return leg at the Bernabéu 0-3. The next meeting didn’t produce any goals at all; the Week 7 clash in October 2020 with Koeman on the bench ended 1-3 - Ramos from the spot and Modric with a wonderful finish on full-time. Then there was the 1-2 in October 2021 - David Alaba picking the perfect moment to score his debut goal for Madrid.

Overall, in the 126 meetings between these two rivals with Barcelona as the home team, the Catalans have won 67, Madrid have won 32 and 27 have ended level. But over the past decade, the visitors have shown they they are always ready to rise to the occasion.