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IT’S El Clásico time in Spain today while, in Johannesburg, Supa Diski off to a cracker when Kaizer Chiefs battle Mamelodi Sundowns in a clash of last season’s top two clubs.

Barcelona coach, Ronald Koeman, knows his men can plunge Real Madrid into crisis today but for him, a first Clásico as coach, is more about vindication.

The big match starts at 4pm.

Inflicting a third consecutive defeat in a week on Madrid at Camp Nou would create the sort of turbulence for their opponents that Barca have grown only too used to in recent months.

But, as much as cranking up the pressure on Zinedine Zidane and gaining an early boost in the Spanish La Liga football’s title race would be welcome, Koeman might claim the biggest rewards from a victory.

Most encouraging has been Koeman’s faith in youth, which has been repaid handsomely as Ansu Fati, Francisco Trincao and Pedri have all delivered more than expected in attack.

Ansu is the most established of the three, the 17-year-old who set more records by scoring again in the Champions League on Tuesday and has been arguably Barcelona’s stand-out performer so far.

“We go into it with the maximum motivation possible,” said Fati. “It’s a Clásico, a game I have always dreamed of playing in.”

In Johannesburg, a number of key battles could prove decisive when Chiefs and Sundowns battle.

 Katsande vs Sirino 

Chiefs’ hardman Willard Katsande is expected to be assigned to keep an eye on Sundowns’ orchestrator-in-chief Gaston Sirino.

Sirino’s good vision and excellent passing ability have made him one of the best playmakers in the league and he also has an eye for goal which makes him even more dangerous in the final third.

Katsande’s purpose in Chiefs’ midfield is to stop the opposition’s key attacking midfielder from dictating the play and his ability to read the game well enables him to identify the dangerman and stop him from making an impact on the game.

 Parker vs Madisha 

Bernard Parker was one of the best players on the pitch as Chiefs defeated Maritzburg United in the MTN8 match last weekend as he showed glimpses of his old self, making dangerous runs into the box, while taking accurate shots at goal.

The veteran forward will be up against Sundowns’ budding central defender Motjeka Madisha, who has the potential to become Bafana Bafana’s first-choice centre back.  Madisha has caught the eye with his ability to read of the game well, make well-timed tackles and speed across the ground which saw him being nominated for the 2019/20 PSL Defender of the Season accolade.

 Manyama vs Kekana 

This will be an intriguing midfield battle and Chiefs playmaker Lebogang Manyama and Sundowns captain Hlompho Kekana will be keen to assert themselves on the game. Manyama enjoys making forward runs from midfield in order to create or score goals and he will be up against Kekana, who is a hard-tackling midfielder, but he also tends to venture forward and unleash his trademark long-range shots.  This has the potential to be the match’s defining battle and one that could produce fireworks. — AFP/Goal.com.