An El Clasico with so much on the line

NATIONALISM has given the "El Clasico" showdown on Saturday between Real Madrid and Barcelona the distraction of the Spanish-Catalan political rivalry. Politics have weighed down on Spain for centuries, and it seems to have fanned further acrimony since the recent referendum in Catalonia asking for a breakaway state.

But that significance is not going to erode the high standard of football that is to be dished out as two super-charged teams parade a stellar cast of Spanish internationals and a foreign legion of superstars.

Sure, there could be emotions running high on the stands of the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, whipped up by political allegiance. No doubt, some of the bitterness is also brought about by media hype and player hero-worship. But on the pitch, where it all matters, it is a battle of player egos and football supremacy between two of the world's most famous clubs.