love the article and completely agree.

Angel Dimaria wl score all three goals and i expect madrid to win 3-1

I would like to wish Real Madride the very best for wednessday and the saturday clasic. Vamos a ganhar REAL MADRIDE

I am not surprised by your prediction Mr. Pinto because you have always been a CR7 fan. Real Madrid has yet to play Barcelona the way they play other teams. Barcelona plays everyone the same, it's no secret and a 'clasico' is an entirely different game given what is at stake. So i disagree, Barcelona is the better team and if, by dropping points in 5 of 15 games and an occasional reversion to a 3-4-3 formation ( which was also employed during the Dream Team era) is an indication of them being "weaker" this season, oh well,on Saturday we'll see...

I do think we would enjoy the best of spanish football this weekend.I do expect to see both teams light up the fire works at Santiago benebau.Real has a finished product ready to be tested by the skills of BArca.Besides both teams possess quality players:C.Ronaldo.Alonso Ozil,kaka etc!!!Barca,Messi,Xavi,Fabregas,Iniesta etc.let's just relax and watch good football.I do hope like Pedro said that both teams end up with 11 players each.

I hope Jose Morinho Team to perform with good result against Barca.

I respect Real Madrid they have all the ammunition to beat Barcelona. Hala Madrid

Real Madrid will win dis week because Barac getting weaker and weaker ever week aye

Goooooooooo real Madrid

I agree with you, Mr. Pinto. These are the 2 best clubs in the World. However, I feel the score will be Real Madrid 4-2 Barca, and the last goal for Barca will be because RMA will finish with 10 players...everybody knows how it is, no team finishes with 11 players againts Barcelona, evenmore Real Madrid...HALA MADRID!!!

You are right – except for the fact that Barcalona will win. Messi wills it.

your article is great and well written. Supportted

Sounds more like hope than a prediction. If the Special One does not have a special formula, what then?

The statistics you show at the beginning of the article disclaims your prediction. Barca an Messi have shown time and time again their proficiency, quality etc.etc. and I think they will again Saturday. I predict Barca 2-1 . Good Luck!

Hey Pinto, I hope Barca makes you eat your article!

Oh yeah!!!!! And right about finishing with 11 men apiece. Well written, my thoughts exactly.

Dear Pinto,

you better honestly think that Madrid will finish the game with 11 men. Mourinho is a terrorist in foootball game. Technically he's compotent but he's a corrupt guy.He should be banned from the football since last season.

And Barca will win.

I've been watching ur comments 4 some time and i still thinhk Real is the side who need to show and proove cause Barca got the numbers even playing bad they got points on the board but lets c on Saturday best of luck for both.

Agree with the assessment, and hope for a great match. The only thing I didn't like was the comparision chart between Messi and Christiano... the numbers seem to show a MUCH SUPERIOR Messi, but that's because it shows the total since they play for their teams, and Christiano has played much less years with Real, than Messi with Barca. So absolutely not comparable statistics... like apples and oranges... Messi IS better, but not that much.

Everybody should keep mute cus barca wil never see real madrid clean only when they ar darty.
And am teling everybody this year is our year realmadrid and big up to the king CR7.

1.) Cristiano Ronaldo will score
2.) Fabregas Will score
4.) Benzema Will score
5.) Messi Will score
5.) Messil will score again
6.) Plus one more BARCA Player will score.

(4-2)

Barcelona Will Win the Game.

It's going down on Saturday.

yea madrid all da wayyyy!!!!!!!!!
barca..wel gud luck!!

Barca 2-1. Two great teams but Barca has soul and goodness on their side. Avanti Barcelona!

Real is Ronaldo and Ronaldo is Real, but Barca is a team from the goalkeeper to the striker, I think that explain all...

BARCAAAAA all the way LEGGOOOOOOO

I liked the article and agree with every word. Real is and will be doing well this season. They have the winning mintality.Desite that, the defence are less solid and the weakness comes, from my opinion, from pepe, his aggrisive attitude would lead him for penalties as well as a Red card for sure, hoping he wouldn't do it this time

Well, this is just about one of the most one sided predictions that could be read about football match. Of course, it is written from analytical point and of course numbers are headed up to Madrid. What most people never realize is this Barca is not about analysis, it's something else. It's about mind and senses control, something Real just don't get. Real with Ronaldo are craftsmen, Barca with Messi are artists, Real are power, Barca are beauty. Real are ego, Barca are soul. That's why Real may win a battle, but they will never win the war.

looks like it is Portugal/Brazil vs Spain/Argentina on Saturday night

I'ld have agreed with your analysis but for the deliberate one sided analysis of state of both team. If you are telling us Cristiano has scored 17 goals you should also state that Messi also has same number of goals. Your saying Mourinho is in his second season and for that has an advantage or is guaranteed to win is more or less saying he is the better coach and Guardiola could not come up with a better tactics. Actually i failed to understand if the super copa played in August was in mourinho's first or second season or does mourinho's second season begins in December? I guess so. If they couldnt beat an unfit and injury plagued Barca in August with an entire summer preparation geared towards winning the supercopa i wonder how they will do it with a fit and healthy Barca with Pep in his second season playing against a mourinho coached team. By the way, if Madrid ended up with lesser personnel on the pitch against Barca blame it on their militant nature as upheld by all morinho coached team when under pressure. Recall Levante and Valencia matches this season? I guess not, must be in mourinho's first season.

I believe we should take a look in to history of Real Madrid either La Liga or UCL they have more wins than Barca.
I am sure they will win because all of the players are in good forms .
Hala Madrid

take it or leave it barca is wining this match its 90 min. we are wining 3 -1 in favour od barc

real 4.1 barca.madrid 4 life

IN MY OPENION IT'S A GOOD CHALLENGING FOR THIS TWO SENIOR PERSON SUCH AS (RONNALDO)AND(MESSI)SO I AM VERY HAPPY ABOUT THIS THAT THESE TWO GUYS ARE VERY INTELLEGENT AND VERY IMPORTENT FOR THERE PERSONAL TEAM AS WELL SO I THINK IN HERE (RONALLDO )WILL BE THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH........BYE TAMIM(OMARY)ON OF THE INTERAST OF THESE TWO GYS THNX...........

nice article and I completely agree with what you say!

Barca is a great team but it takes a great coach like mourinho to beat a great team. The is a genius All we ask is a free and fair game. The referee should be fair to all parties.

am waiting but Ronaldo is btter than Messi, so lets wait for the El on the wikend

Mr Pinto your article is one side and my guess is that you are real mad fan well i don't despute they are playing very well but this is a different ball game so expect a 2-1 victory in favor of barca.

Dear Mr Pinto,

FYI... the below is from a GU blog on the Balon d'Or and includes my response to a post in the comments section..

6 December 2011 2:25PM
The awards should play out like the Oscars.
Best goalkeeper, best defender, best mid , best for... etc etc
Best supporting midfielder, best diver would be great.
Seriously give every player their due credit and then at the end give out best overall performance. And get the thing on one of the big channels, get people watching, make it interesting.

Exactly! I ve wondered for years why it s not done that way... heck even the method of announcing the winner is so old hat (a reflection of the ages of Blatter & co..?) in that they pick 3 finalist instead of 4 or even 5 where they start with 2nd runner up, then 1st runner up and lastly the winner, whom you ll still be guessing about since there are 2 or 3 people left to be picked from...
Is Murray or Sid or someone (anyone) close enough to the fifa exec to advise them to come out of the dark ages for this event (never mind the voting for the WC hosting rights, let s take it a step at a time...)
I think Pedro Pinto in CNN s sport show is close to them, maybe I should go on there and post this...
--------

So, pedro, hope you dont mind and can do something early enough for this year s awards so it at least includes various positions since it s too late to change the 3-man shortlist for 2011... Thanks and hope to get a response from you., possibly on WS tonight..?

On paper, Pedro in my opinion, has it. But something in the chemistry of the match on Saturday will destabilise Real. I can't put my finger on it. What is clear to me is that artistry at the level of Barca will upset the crafmanship of Real. Moments of genius are more often found with Barca than Real – Messi, Xavi, Iniesta and Cesc. Let's see how the Iker and co respond to that. It just may be Barca 1-0.

Kehinde /Nigeria

there is only 1 pele and only one ronaldo..................

the rest are just spectators................

Form is temporary but class is permanent

I totally agree with Pinto's article. First and foremost Pinto is a great analytical writer that has never disappointed in his writings. Truly this year Madrid is more complete as a team than Barcelona. They are playing as a unit in terms of team spirit. Barcelona is great but this time around Madrid will win. Go read what Pinto wrote last year about the same clasico before dismissing him...a 2-1 scoreline infavour of Madrid.

Mr. Pinto is always biased toward anything Portuguese, very bad in a journalist. The only thing 'special' about Mourinho is that he is still allowed to coach after all his ugly transgressions and utter disrespect for the game.

If the game is about football, Barca will win, obviously. If it is about Mou's antics, verbal and physical assaults and 'gamesmanship', all bets are off.

And Ronaldo is not fit to shine Messi's boots, Leo is on a completely different level.

they have a "classico" every 3 months... that's not so classic. DUMB

What is different this year at Madrid? Look at how many penalties they have received from refs, and how many of their opponents are sent off (et tu, Mou?). Teatro del bueno.

Finishing the match with 11 players on Real Madrid's side only depends on them, and the amount of knees they try to break.
Real Madrid 2- Barça 3.
Visca el Barça

Once beaten twice shy . Well written pinto . Real is too good this time . on average are scoring 3 per game . 3-1

real 4 real they cant loose

I like the comments, i like the article, but being a die hard supporter of Barca, I have faith in them, as one of the fans rightly said, Barca has soul and beauty on their side, as opposed to Real who start playing wrestling/rugby against Barca...if you remember UCL Barca vs Man Utd, i saw a fair game, why...both teams were true sportsmen, so in response to the rubbish about Real finishing with 11 men, its upto Real whether they want to play football with 11, or rugby with less than 11....
i DARE Real Madrid to play football against Barcelona...
BARCA BARCA BAAAARCA!!!!!

Don't care who wins but let's hope it IS a super classico because these two teams are not only the best that La Liga has to offer they're the ONLY thing La Liga has to offer. The Spanish top flight is barely a league at all at the moment, it's more like the America's Cup sailing competition with 18 teams competing in the challenger rounds for the right to have their backsides kicked by Real or Barca. It's already a two horse race and we're not even half way through the season, so how anyone can claim that this league matters is beyond me. Great league's need some depth of competition and La Liga has none. Arguably, Real/Barca may be the best teams in the world but their dominance in Spain is unchallenged, which makes them the best argument there is for a European super league where like would meet like. And please don't say we've got the Champions League because that's become a joke (Valencia 7 Genk 0 anyone!)..So by all means salivate over the prospects for this weekend's game, and I hope it lives up to its billing, because there won't be another Spanish game worth a damn until these two teams meet again later in the season.

I agree with most part of your article, except the part where it says Real will win Barcelona. Hello Pedro, that is not gonna happen. I have this feeling you long for a Madrid win because of your countryman

I really think we have to look at the facts. Honestly, the Barca that Madrid played at the Supa Copa was not the same one they met last season. Mourinho and his team have gained confidence and unlike the other meetings, they attacked Barca at the Supa Copa. All I have to say is that Barca are not used to defending, they can concede many goals. But Barca must not be overlooked, they have quality and they are a fruitful bunch, they can easily change their fortunes!

Well you should know Mr. Pinto is writting an article based on what he thinks about the two teams, not what the world thinks about the two teams. Honestly Real Madrid has a upper hand in this game.

I dont believe on predictions , let the better team win. that barca is behind real madrid with some points , has got nothn to do with what is going to happen on saturday , great barca never sleep , if you think we are sleeping , then you might as well be mistaking the gentleness of a tiger for cowardice. its a tradition , its going to happen again , its our win , GREAT BARCA FOR LIFE.

Well it's been a long time coming and all and sundry backing Real to knock Barca off their perch.True Barca has been loosing points and sometimes have appeared to be struggling ,but ,that just confirms that staying at the top is not easy coz everyone always plotting your downfall, it doesnt mean that Real will beat Barca.This could just be the platform for Barca to cement their positon as La liga's finest and with cases of indiscipline among Madrid players helping their course I can't help but wonder how many red cards will grace this occassion this time round.

Going to the summit is one thing. Trying to remain there for long requires extra effort. If Barça can do that then they have none to fear. Real has looked polished and complete. It will be an exciting duel. May the team that plays positive and attractive football win. All the best to the players and fans of Real and Barça.

The odds are still in favour of Barca even from your analysis.
The odds are still in fvour of messi over C Ronaldo.
With a nine point lead of probable nine point lead,it makes d trophy out of reach of Barca n yhus the remaining season uninterestin.
A decent draw will do.

The odds are in favour of Barca especially in recent past.
Again, d odds are in favour of Messi over Ronaldo even in your analysis.
A decent draw @least for Barca makes them keep a tab on madrid n thus makes the league more interstin. Lookin forwrd to a decent match n the best el classico ever.

Barcelona has a delicious game, it's a joy to see them play as team, even if they loose.

GREAT ARTICLE!!

barca rma is the clash of the titans.
and where to elephants clashed together ,the grass there,ll bear the witness. ( which means the referee and his assistants,ve a great task ahead of them)on Saturday i dont see either side wining under regulation time.
except if there is a penalty shoot out. but no doubt both two coaches remained the best coaches in the world.......but J. MORINHO emerged the world no 1.

Dream on, because there's no way in hell Barca will lose...

We all might be in for a shock! It might end in a goalless draw! Just kidding, but I really hope we can have a memorable game, devoid of any shenanigans. No red cards please. It spoils the spectacle. I want real to win. Barca’s mental strength to recover will be tested if they suffer a defeat. I want to see how strong they really are.

I like Pedro Pinto's wishful and classic thinking, however do not under estimate the power behind Barca.... they wont leave anything to chance. In football, statistics from previous few games hardly give a correct prediction. Barcelona rule the world.

Barcelona will shock the whole world again!... nevertheless the best team will surely win....

Hello there pinto. Nothing against you supporting your countrymen, Special One and CR7, but this wind from Catalunya will blow the hell out on Madrid. Grana azul will prevail..the best team ever exist FCB!!!
PS: hope Morinho won't end up pinching eyeballs again!

Dis is time 4 fcbarcelona 2 show world dat we're d best team on d planet..... Pls God help my team dis weekend...... My favouraite player 2 score real mardid is MR MESSI, MR ALEXIS, MR PEDRO & MR VILLA OR MR CECS.F...... UP BARC

der is no doubt ?barca wil win n dey wil champions 4ever.so dose who support madride shud put dier heads down on de pillow n sleep

GOOD ARTICLE

Mr. pinto your article is well written,but as one of the commest side you are a Real fan. I do agreed that the form of RM is better but FCB is a different team when its come to playing. The mor avg a team has to win is when they have pently of the football playing and FCB will always keep the football that make them different. commenting on the 10 men business,morinho is a war footballer and if his instrution is to getral of Missi thaen show the will even play with 9 men. pls play will madra we want see good football no matter who wins. this game will not determine who win the leage title.

Missi is greter then CR7 no dabt.

anywhere i can email you when the last whistle is blown and you are proven wrong?

MADRID, CABRON
SALUDA AL CAMPEON!

barca for life i will show Madrid pepe today

Its unfortunate that Real's fortune has been solely stacked on this game.I disagree , even if they lose Real will be the best team in the world at seasons end.A win against Barca is just a perk.Viva Madrid

let wait and see to night fans.

There you are Mr. Pinto! You see, that's a difference between the team and the club Even when they are not at their best, they can still clinch it; so much more when they are on the up. And so it's all downhill from now on for Real; it's all up for Barca. Sorry mate. Viva campeoni!!

pedro you where damm wrong about your article......

Pinto, you failed in your prediction of the classico not because you are not a good football analysts but because you where carried away by patriotic sympathy for your Portuguese brothers in Real Madrid. Next time, do well to keep your love for a player aside or brotherly feeling and see and analyze things as a professional; if not, we shall start doubting you.

Oh my God this pundit is against the Statistics and all Odds.
It is to be well heralded that the rhetoriker Pedro Pinto is a mere la Portuguese who would actually put his money on Frederico Gil against the all conquering Djokovic. It seems the dude has love in abundance for his compatriots- CR 7, Pepe, Mourinho and Coentro.
Patroitism at its best.

haha. thats what i'm talking about. go barca. domination cotinues.

I was damn right. Refer to my pre-match comment on this same blog above, and see if the Barca's chemistry I referrred to didn't destabilise Real. I predicted a 1-0 victory for Barca, but I was on the cautious side. Pinto's analysis was based on logic; mine was based on one thing long established – that artistry is, in the end, superior to craftmanship. In a game like this, it is the missing piece that counts – that's the only thing missing in Pinto's analysis. Take it or leave it, that's what Mounrinho has to decode to break the Catalans' soccer hegemony. Period.

Kehinde/Jos, Nigeria

Erm...you were saying?

So the "special formula" of which you spoke. What did that involve exactly? Was it some sort of hope that the contest would end after 30 minutes?

RM 1 Barca 3...Sadly, not a superclassico, just a mediocre error-strewn game notable only for the fact that the "expert", Pedro Pinto, allowed his Portuguese bias to get the better of him with the result that he got it COMPLETELY WRONG! Mourinho did not have "a special formula to knock out his rivals once and for all." He didn't even have a formula to knock them out once! Ronaldo was not "superb", in fact he stunk, and the lack of effective replacements for his equally ineffective team-mates suggests the Meringues have less strength in depth than Barca who could afford to leave David Villa on the sidelines for most of the game. And far from Pep Guardiola displaying a "lack of ideas" he completely out-thought the Special One even after giving Madrid a head start with a soft early goal. So all in all it was not a vintage day for the boys from the Bernebeu, but it could have been worse, they could have been Pedro Pinto, who had a nightmare!

the weaker team won, hahahah!!!

Messi is the biggest player now, Renaldo is big in small matches and is not the key man in big games.Messi is always they key man in small and big games,and has the best team around him also.thanks to Johan Cruiff

ha ha barca #1 siempre

Madrid has excellent players.Barca has a flawless system. It is difficult to beat the tiki-taka.When I saw on Tuesday, Barca's youths destroying Bate Borisov, with the tiki-taka, I knew then that Real was doomed against the rested adults. Real may win La Liga and the CL, because they are hungrier and luckier; but Barca will remain the better side. Finally, remember Barca does not lose when Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, and Messi are together on the field; tonight they were. Simple.

learn to appreciate barcelona as a team ans also learn to accept Messi, Inesta and Xavi to be better footballers than ronaldo despite their different positions of play.

Pedro,Barca is and will continue to be the best of the world.
Their unique ball control style is too much for Madrid.
Hope you chhose Barca over Madrid in Camp Nou!
Saludos,
Pedro

It is a sad day for Real Madrid and even a sadder day for Pedro in failing on his predictions of a Real Madrid win !

Well, well, well... Real or any other decent team can beat the **** out of any of those 18 sparrings in the Spanish league which does not allow for much of a forecast and you should know better, so my question is: where did all those opinions around Madrid being favourite last night came from, Mr. Pinto?? What exactly made you think Madrid is any better than last season? Or Barça any worse?? Real is the same old thing while Barça is the same recent glory PLUS the likes of Alexis, Cesc, Thiago... You might see things different now and you'll surely forecast a Catalan win in April, but next time remember than wishes are any predictor's worst enemy.

Barca – 3, Real Madrid – 1

Enough said...

Hi Pedro,
How I wish if I had seen your face after the game. Barca is still ahead of Madrid psychologically.

Its been confirmed; Mr Pinto is a WISHFUL THINKER.........LOL

Pedro you were wrong,this Barca team is the strongest ever,luck didnt play any role.

you should really stop trying to predict things.... Obviously, you are not good at it...

Sorry to say but the usual clueless comments of pedriito pinto.

Goes to show that if you are a betting man, don't ride with Pinto's predictions. I've been saying it all week and love saying it again now, Real Madrid simply have not met a high calibre opponent from which we can truly decipher how good they are. The difference for Barcelona comes down to one man, and it is not Lionel Messi. That person is Cesc Fabregas, whose inclusion in the starting line-up adds a high quality fourth option in the holding and shooting department. Madrid simply don't have the players to match the ball control of Barcelona. This was a game for Kaka to start, not the inexperienced Ozil. The high tempo play of Madrid can't be sustained through an entire match and it was evident at half time that players like Diarra could not give much more. Di Maria was wonderful where Cristiano was woeful. Madrid, the running and fouling team were beaten by Barcelona, the rhythmic passing team. Barcelona simply passed and moved Madrid off the park and though Madrid were unlucky at times, Barcelona could also have scored 6 goals, not 3. I had predicted a 3-0 victory for Barcelona, their composure shown through. Class versus form...again.

Care to comment about your prediction now?

Pedro, you really should focus on other – potentially less embarrassing – channels for your journalism. Most of your predictions on this blog are just tarnishing your credibility as a so called "sport expert."

Dear Pinto,

How are you? please don't disguise your nationalistic feeling in Supporting Mourinho and Cr7. But Madrid play better than before, partly because they played football instead of anti-football.

Anyways, your article was one sided and it's Mourinho who goes for violence. Anyways, with or without violence, Messi and Guardiola are winners as always.

I also appreciated Mourinho's attitude in the beginning of the game. This is what sports for.

and u better be fairer in your writing. Long live sportsmanship.

Goes to show that if you are a betting man, don't ride with Pinto's predictions. I've been saying it all week and love saying it again now, Real Madrid simply had not met a high calibre opponent from which we could truly decipher how good they are. Until now. The difference for Barcelona comes down to one man, and it is not Lionel Messi. That person is Cesc Fabregas, whose inclusion in the starting line-up adds a high quality fourth option in the holding and shooting department. Madrid simply don't have the players to match the ball control of Barcelona. This was a game for Kaka to start, not the inexperienced Ozil. The high tempo play of Madrid can't be sustained through an entire match and it was evident at half time that players like Diarra could not give much more. Then started the nagging fouls. Di Maria was wonderful where Cristiano was woeful. Madrid, the running and fouling team were beaten by Barcelona, the rhythmic passing team. Barcelona simply passed and moved Madrid off the park and though Madrid were unlucky at times, Barcelona could also have scored 6 goals, not 3. I had predicted a 3-0 victory for Barcelona, their composure shown through. Class versus form...again.

at least one person got it right. that is Benny die hard barca fun..
I am sorry for all who hate barca.Real keep frightening the smaller teams.when it comes to the matches that really matter they are pathetic.
I am barca4life.this is our era to shine. madrid had thiers already.let them just accept that and live with it.

Pedro got it all wrong. Barcelona remains the best FC in the world. When I read your PREDICTIONS, I knew that it would be proven otherwize. LONG LIVE BARCA

Great prediction as always hahaha! #FAIL

Pedro just tell Mou nd Cr7 to put a big tall wall in the midfield nd send Mou to an optician to see cause he is blind.most of barca goals always came from the midfield with a Messi,drible 4 5 madrid players to deliver or score nd that sat he recieve da ball from pique in their own half to escape from all your midfield to fed alexis it's back 'n fourth.he's done dat all da time from da midfield gimme RM ima beat barca.Bring my home depot nd built a 200 feet concrete wall in the midfield then peace with messi he is so short.Pedro give Mou that you may have a chance to talk to him yuh brothers

I knew it, as long as FC Barcelona remain on the run, Real Madrid and the likes of Man United MUST forget winning the clash with FC Barcelona! Barcelona remains champions for yesterday, today and tomorrow. Viva la Spain

PEDRO u r an excellent sportscaster but u wouldnt know a dynasty if u saw one.....this BARCA team will continue performing at the very highest level AT LEAST until the 2015/2016 vseason and the team that walloped BATE in the champions league proves it...FCB.....REMEBA THIS TEAM COZ THEY'LL STILL BE SINGING ABOUT IT IN 2111!!!!

Hello. I'm really korean. Barca will win, because it has PEDRO, MESSI, SABI, FABREGAS AND INESTA.

barcelona beat real madrid with ease than other spanish team b’cos they(real madrid) come and chase players while barcelona come to play football.barcelona 4ever

just like some body mentioned prior to the game , he hope you eat your article on that day, it has finally come to pass Mr. Pedro i would rather advise you and your Barca Haters to show a lot of respect to the greatest coach and the best football club of all time in the world