Why Barcelona captain can be Hansi Flick’s X-factor against Real Madrid

Barcelona head into tonight’s El Clasico with vastly different circumstances from their meeting with Real Madrid earlier in the season.

When the two teams met in La Liga in October, Barcelona were crippled with injuries across the field. Joan Garcia, Robert Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, and Raphinha were all absent on the night due to fitness setbacks.

Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal too did not enter the game at their 100% and were both far from their peak fitness at the time.

An X-Factor

El Clasico is Raphinha’s stage to shine. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Of all of the aforementioned players who will be available later today, Raphinha stands out as the candidate who can make all the difference for Barcelona. After all, words cannot do justice in describing his impact on the field.

The Brazilian star has shown to be especially motivated in Clasicos and his record against Real Madrid speaks volumes about the same – he has five goals and three assists in just 11 games against Los Blancos.

Another surprising statistic is that Raphinha has never played a game against Real Madrid that has ended in a draw. Of the 11 games he has played against them, he has won seven and lost four with a winning percentage of over 63%.

The captain, moreover, enters tonight’s game in red-hot form as he has five goals in his last five game including a stunning brace against Athletic Club in the semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup.

Raphinha was the MVP the last time Barcelona and Real Madrid faced off in the final of the Spanish Super Cup. In the 5-2 win last season, he scored a brace and provided one assist to help the Catalans wrap up the win.

Needless to say, he will look to lead the team to a similar win later today, especially considering how he narrowly missed out participating in the last Clasico after suffering a last-minute relapse. He could well be the X factor Hansi Flick needs.