No Gareth Bale is an opportunity to exploit

Without Gareth Bale involved, there is an opportunity for Barcelona to exploit the fact the Welshman will not be able to use his physical advantage against them. It means Barcelona need not be too concerned with the counter attack, and while they should remain aware of the factor it’s not as grave as first perceived. 

Bale has been Real Madrid’s best player for some time and gives the team an extra advantage in a key area of battle; the physical aspect. Barça can focus on their game with Bale absent, look to control and make sure they are in the ascendancy from the off. Bale’s presence would’ve been a case of Barça looking over their shoulder and perhaps taking their eye off the ball. They might not get a better chance to face Real Madrid with such a huge chink in their armor.

Lionel Messi 

Just like Real Madrid has their Cristiano Ronaldo factor, well, Barcelona has their Lionel Messi factor. The little magician can indeed conjure up feats of individual brilliance perhaps no other player on the planet can - and yes, that includes Cristiano. Messi is such a huge influence on any game he plays, even away from the goalscoring column. 

His ability to drop deep into midfield and become the fulcrum for which his team’s attack performs on cannot be underrated. Messi can change the pace and motion of a game in his favor, and run it how he sees fit. These games, the biggest, are another type that he thrives upon. Messi has nothing to prove to anyone but his consistency in the big games only emphasizes his status as one of the greats - if not the greatest.

They must react

It’s not a full scale crisis but Barcelona find themselves in an admittedly bad moment. A draw at Real Sociedad wasn’t just any old draw. It was a deplorable Barça performance that showed all their weaknesses and then some. Players like Gerard Pique admitted they wouldn’t win the title playing like that, while Luis Enrique conceded the team were handed a miracle in not losing. It’s essential then that Barça react in the right manner, like all the great teams do. 

Barca have done before, indeed they have endured poor moments only to react well - now they must show their character and do so again. Morale remains positive, and this will be a factor. A loss, well, it would be catastrophic on every end, but Barca must not entertain the thought. It’s should be positivity from here on in, and if they can add that to getting across their style of play on the day they will come away victorious.