Image source, .

Lionel Messi has had the better season individually than Cristiano Ronaldo, although the Portuguese is looking in good shape to win more trophies.

Ronaldo's hat-trick against Bayern Munich in midweek has boosted his stats, while Lionel Messi has averaged a goal a game - and in the league it's 29 goals in 28 games.

Messi, incidentally, has scored 498 goals for Barcelona. If he can notch a couple today, he's reached the 500 mark. 

In stark contract to Luis Enrique's talk of the game being "a final" and "a decisive game", Real Madrid counterpart Zinedine Zidane is very much taking the opposite approach.

"We're used to these kinds of matches, it's just another game and it's very important for us. There's a lot of fatigue over the course of the season but we're eager to keep moving in the same direction.

"Whatever happens, this will not be a decisive clash. We've got seven finals still to play and tomorrow is the first of those. We'll take it game by game because every single one is crucial."

Barcelona boss Luis Enrique: “There is no better place for a Barca win than the Santiago Bernabeu. It is a final for us.

"It is an extra motivation to be able to catch up with Real Madrid. It is a decisive game with the competition nearing its end, it could almost end the league or leave the door open."

There is a screening of the game today in Greece with young refugees and migrants. Barcelona legend, and La Liga ambassador Carles Puyol, and La Liga president Xavier Tebas are there.

Image source, Reuters

That Gym Guy: The reality is Barca's front 3 cover a lot of the cracks throughout the team. Defence is appalling and midfield is aging.  

Stephen Hutchings: Don't think it's over just yet, they will win the cup but need a stronger bench for next year  

S m Sriram: Barca need to bounce back from the Champions League defeat. Play with heart and not mind.  

Image source, AFP/Getty Images

An interesting piece of street art called "Love is blind" in Barcelona today of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo kissing each other. 

As the AFP/Getty caption explains it is a picture "by street artist Salva 'Tvboy' on Saint George's day. Traditionally men give women roses and women give men a book to celebrate the Catalan holiday also know as 'The Day of the Rose' or 'The Day of the Book'."

Steve McManaman
Former Real Madrid winger on BBC Radio 5 live on Friday

Image source, Getty Images

When I was in Madrid, we had the better team. The gap between them now is very small but it was bigger then. 

When we beat them in the Champions League semi-final [in 2002, when McManaman scored], I’ve never seen celebrations like it from our Spanish players. 

They celebrated more at beating them that they did when they won the Champions League final. Because I’m English, it probably didn’t mean as much to me as it did to the Spanish boys.

I only thought how important the goal was, not ‘oh my God, I’ve scored against Barcelona at this glorious stadium’. 

It started to sink in days later in Madrid when you go into a local supermarket or garage and people are going bonkers over your goal and the win. Not being Spanish, not being fluent in Spanish, it sort of passes you by. I went back the other day and people were still talking about when Real Madrid beat them then.

BBC Radio 5 live

Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen explains how he helped Cristiano Ronaldo score more goals.

Meulensteen told him to set a goal target at the start of each campaign.

He also said the Portugal star, who joined Real Madrid in 2009, was always trying to score “the perfect goal”.

Meulensteen also showed Ronaldo videos of former United strikers Andrew Cole and Dwight Yorke to demonstrate the importance of a variety of finishing.

Vaishach: Not sure if Barca's dominance is over but this is the time for English teams to step up surely! We need a UCL win so badly  

Rebecca in Birmingham: I support Barca and have to teach Real Madrid fans tomorrow, so come on Barca!  

Hamster Man: Barcelona are one of the biggest teams in Spanish football. I don't think their era is over.  

Andy West
Spanish football writer

The luxury of riches at Zinedine Zidane's disposal reveals one of the key factors behind Real's edge over Barca in this season's title race: the gulf in squad depth at the two clubs.

Whereas Zidane can call upon two top-class performers in nearly every position, Barca coach Luis Enrique suffers from a serious drop-off in quality whenever one of his first team is injured or in need of a rest.

Barca's problems in that respect were first identified early in the season, when Enrique rested several players at home to newly promoted Alaves and his team lost 2-1, and the same pattern has re-emerged throughout the season.

The case of Andre Gomes is striking, with three of Barca's four league losses coming when the Portugal international was named in the starting line-up, while frontman Paco Alcacer has only scored five goals all season compared to 17 from Real's back-up striker Morata.

Read Andy's feature on Isco here.

Image source, EPA

Into Twitter? Into emojis? Into El Clasico?

Then, great news. There are special emojis if you use any of the hashtags below. 

Image source, La Liga

Let's take a look at what the Spanish newspapers had to say about this game, Neymar is a recurring theme.

Barcelona were considering trying to find a legal loophole to play the suspended Brazilian today but gave up this morning (after all the papers were published).

Image source, AS

Image source, Marca

Image source, Sport

Image source, Mundo Deportivo

Image source, Reuters

Barcelona only finally conceded defeat in their hopes to play Neymar this morning.

Yesterday, boss Luis Enrique had said he was planning for the game with and without the Brazilian - who trained on Saturday.

The striker's one-game ban for being sent off against Malaga was extended to three matches because he sarcastically applauded the fourth official when coming off. 

The Spanish football federation rejected Barca's appeal on Friday, so the club took their case to Spain's Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAD). 

TAD called an emergency meeting on Saturday, but it could not take place because not all of its members could attend.

Barca had been considering whether they could effectively find a loophole - in that TAD hadn't actually made a decision - and play him.

Rashida: Barcelona can't seem to dominate a two horse league anymore, forget Europe for a while.  

Chris: Not the end. To many "overrated" signing/ made by the board. We need a strong coach who understands the club. Aka #Koeman

John McEnerney: This era of is over, nothing in the pipeline from La Masia, poor signings, new manager coming in and Iniesta on his last legs  

Steve McManaman
Former Real Madrid winger on BBC Radio 5 live on Friday

El Clasico is not like Everton against Liverpool or even Liverpool against Manchester United where there is a lot of rivalry. 

The fans hate each other when this comes round. I was there when Luis Figo had a pig's head thrown at him. 

What you don't realise is that there were whiskey bottles, golf balls and mobile phones on the pitch as well - anything they could throw, they threw. 

There were armed guards running alongside the team coach with rifles pointing out at anyone. Windows on our bus were getting smashed. If it was in England, you'd be absolutely shocked it went on. If anything this fixture seems to have got bigger and the rivalry has got more intense. 

Image source, EPA

But Barcelona are having their worst season in some time. They won the Spanish Super Cup back in August, and are in the Copa del Rey final against Alaves.

But their Champions League dream was ended by a brilliant Juventus defensive display during the week, while their La Liga hopes could be over with a defeat today.

Add that to the fact several of their established stars are getting on in years, their recent signings have been mostly awful, and manager Luis Enrique is leaving in the summer and we are reaching (relatively speaking) crisis levels.

Image source, EPA

Real Madrid, who have won the Uefa Super Cup and Club World Cup this season, are in good shape to win their first La Liga title since 2012, and become the first ever team to successfully defend the Champions League.

After knocking out Bayern Munich in extra time this week, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick, they face city rivals Atletico - who they have beaten in two of the last three finals - in the semi-finals.

Boss Zinedine Zidane has won 78.4% of his La Liga games - three defeats in 51 league games - since replacing Rafael Benitez about 15 months ago.

We want to know do you think Barcelona's era of dominance is over?

Two consecutive Champions League quarter-finals, La Liga title hopes on the brink, need to find a new manager, ageing stars and underachieving replacements.

Let us know your thoughts on Twitter, using #bbceurofooty, or on the BBC Sport Facebook page.

Real Madrid make one change from the side who beat Bayern Munich in midweek - Gareth Bale returns from a muscle injury, to replace Isco.

Barcelona change one player from the team who went out to Juventus, Paco Alcacer gets his big chance to finally become a Barca hero, replacing the suspended Neymar.

Real Madrid: Navas, Ramos, Nacho, Carvajal, Marcelo, Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale. Subs: Casilla, Danilo,  Asensio, Isco, Rodriguez, Kovacic, Morata.

Barcelona: Ter Stegen, Pique, Umtiti, Roberto, Alba, Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta, L Suarez, Messi, Alcacer. Subs: Cillessen, D Suarez, Turan, Mascherano, Digne, Gomes, Alena. 

Image source, #bbceurofooty

In terms of the impact on the title race, this is one of the bigger Clasicos of recent years.

If Real Madrid win, they will be six points clear of Barcelona with a game in hand. Not only that but because head-to-head comes before goal difference in La Liga, they would also have that edge on the Catalans - effectively making it a seven-point lead.

If it is a draw, then Real will stay three points above Barca (with an extra game to play), but they would have level head-to-head record (as they drew 1-1 in December) and Barca's goal difference is much better.

But if Barcelona win, they will go top tonight on head-to-head difference. It would still be Real's to lose as they have an extra game (against Celta Vigo), but with Champions League games to come, they might have to play a weaker side in one or more of their remaining games.