Barcelona looking to put salt in Real Madrid's wound

Nobody expected in pre-season that Real Madrid would be suffering so much after just eight weeks, going 409 minutes without scoring a goal. Winning the Champions League for the third consecutive season has put the club into a complacent place which not even the departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane shook them out of.

The sheer numbers are forcing Madrid to think of the Portuguese striker, whose mere presence was intimidating to opponents. He was such a reliable goalscorer. But even beyond Ronaldo, it is surprising to see how Madrid are unable to react to adversity. We saw that on Saturday against Alaves, where Madrid lost 1-0 in added time, historically minutes where they capitalise.

They have gone four games without winning and suffered two defeats in a row, results that leave Julen Lopetegui in trouble. The coach is the one who is being criticised, even though Barcelona’s bad form has reduced the impact of Madrid’s own failures. The worst off that Real will be is three points behind the leaders by the end of the weekend.

But that is what Barcelona are aiming for, to pour salt in the wounds of Madrid and turn Wembley into more than an anecdote. Valverde insisted yesterday that he believes in consistency, to win the Champions League. Including in La Liga.

In London he found a good formula with Arthur coming in to perform a role similar to Xavi and Iniesta, while Coutinho playing further forward was improved too.