Club football is back with a roar, as the El Clasico between Real Madrid and Barcelona takes centre-stage.
Any time these two teams meet – no matter the competition, no matter what is at stake – it is humongous. The players don't like each other in those 90 minutes, the fans are baying for the opponents' blood (not literally, of course) and the only thing that matters is winning.
With Real Madrid and Barcelona now two of the best teams in Europe, led by two, three or four of the best players in the world, it has become the biggest match in the continent, in terms of club football.
So, come 6.15 pm local time on Saturday, everyone not at the Bernabeu, will be glued to their TV sets to watch this modern version of the gladiatorial battle.
"We're the two biggest sides in Spain," Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale told Bwin. "There is an enormous rivalry which has been around for years, and we're always competing with each other for the La Liga, Champions League and other championship titles.
"As such, we have an incredible rivalry and all of that together means there is a greater sense of pressure out on the pitch, which makes these games so unique and exciting."
Bale has handled that pressure pretty well in the past, with the Welshman's most famous goal, perhaps, coming in the Copa Del Rey final a couple of seasons ago, when he put on the after-burners to score an individual strike to remember.
That is what makes this match so special. There are special players right through the squad of both teams, that you expect something extraordinary to happen every other minute.
While Luis Suarez and Neymar, who has been in scintillating form over the last couple of months, have catapulted Barcelona to the top of the La Liga table – they are three points ahead of Real Madrid after 11 matches -- the big question going into this El Clasico remains Lionel Messi's fitness. The Argentine wonder is back in training, but if he is fit enough to take the field from minute one, we will only know come Saturday.
At the other end, of course, is Messi's rival and nemesis Cristiano Ronaldo, who hasn't quite hit his normal heights yet this season, even if he has shown signs of that in patches. With Bale, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez struggling with injuries for the bulk of the season so far, the onus has fallen firmly on Ronaldo, who has struggled to be as consistently prolific as he normally is, with his rumoured tetchy relationship with manager Rafa Benitez not helping matters either.
With Ronaldo's supporting acts back in business, though, all the worries will be put to the back burner, as both Real Madrid and Barcelona look for that win they crave the most.
El Clasico schedule: Real Madrid vs Barcelona.
Get the live streaming information of the match HERE
Date: Saturday, 21 November.
Time: 6.15 pm local time (10.45 pm IST, 5.15 pm GMT, 12.15 pm ET).
Venue: Bernabeu in Madrid.
TV listings: India: Sony Kix and Sony Six HD. Spain: Canal+. UK: Sky Sports 2. USA, Middle East, North Africa, Australia, Thailand, Canada and France: Bein Sports. South Africa: SuperSport.
