‘Superman’ Lewandowski to spearhead all-out Barça attack vs Real Madrid

Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images

Goals expected…

Las Vegas, Nevada… more gaudy than Gaudi and a place where either Barcelona or Real Madrid are likely to have a hangover on Sunday morning.

Pre-season Clásicos are fast becoming the rule rather than the exception, but that hasn’t dulled the importance of the fixture.

I mean, who doesn’t love a Clásico, whatever the context.

There will, perhaps, be more interest in this edition than usual thanks to the flurry of new signings Barça have made over the past couple few weeks.

It will also be the first chance to see Robert Lewandowski — a player whom the official Barça website have called ‘a shiny, new Polish goal scoring machine’ and ‘superman’ — in Blaugrana.

Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images

So, what can we expect from the encounter?

Goals, at either end, are almost a foregone conclusion.

Barça’s defence is not yet settled and may even have one or two more additions before the beginning of their league campaign.

To that end, the back four could struggle at times up against the likes of Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema.

It’s the Brazilian that’s likely to cause the most problems down Barça’s right-hand side, and Xavi will undoubtedly be looking for Sergiño Dest to show a marked improvement in his understanding of the full-back role.

The game comes too early for César Azpilicueta who should swap Stamford Bridge for Camp Nou over the course of the next fortnight.

Ronald Araujo can continue to cement his burgeoning reputation at the heart of the backline, and I’d be interested to see if Xavi goes with a back three for the start of this one.

Allowing a four-man midfield will overwhelm Los Blancos’ engine-room and could be the keys to a victory.

If the 4-3-3 formation is preferred, then the Uruguayan has a choice of dance partners and both Eric Garcíia and Andreas Christensen can expect another run out.

Pedri, Gavi, Pablo Torre, Nico González, Sergio Busquets, Franck Kessie, Frenkie de Jong... the talent that Xavi has at his disposal in midfield is insane.

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Young, vibrant and dynamic in most cases, they are the antithesis to Madrid’s ageing but still excellent Modric-Kroos-Casemiro triumvirate.

Notwithstanding that Carlo Ancelotti will want to see the energy that Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni will bring to that area of the pitch.

Up front is where Barça can really inflict some serious damage on their eternal rivals.

Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembélé, Memphis Depay and Raphinha all looked sharp and interested against Inter Miami, and we should expect the same again.

The big man up front is something Barça have lacked for a while, and I’m particularly keen to see how well served Lewandowski is, and what he will bring to the party.

David Alaba knows Lewandowski well from their time at Bayern Munich, but even if he’s briefed his defensive colleagues on the type of movement to expect from the striker, they’ll have to be at the top of their game to stop him bagging a debut goal.

Strap yourselves in…!

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