Real Madrid and Barcelona may be two falling giants of European football, but their reputation remains high despite their struggles.
Therefore, their clash – El Clásico – is still one of football’s biggest attractions, even if not the best from a quality perspective.
The latest Clásico on Saturday had something much bigger at stake than pride – the La Liga title.
Atlético Madrid looked intent on breaking Madrid and Barça’s duopoly on the Spanish top-flight, getting 50 points in the first half of their season and going clear at the top of the table, but they have slumped incredibly since.