Zac Lee Rigg: No one in the world is in better form than Lionel Messi. He has three hat-tricks in this young 2010. Moved into a more central, playmaking position, he's finding even more space to run at defenders with his devastating pace. Not even Cristiano Ronaldo or Wayne Rooney can match this kid.
David Mosse: Making a case for someone other than Messi to be the star of a game he's involved in doesn't seem sane right now, but I think Ronaldo can outshine Messi on Saturday. He'll be the more rested of the two and, in my view, has played at a comparable level this season. Ronaldo has 25 goals in 27 games. He will be hungry to prove there still is a debate between the two players and the support of the home crowd will help him as well.
Rigg: I'm not sure home support helps him. He seems to feed off the hatred and loathing of others to spur him on (which I think is a sure sign of a psychopath). Sure, Ronaldo is in good form. But good doesn't come close to describing what Messi is doing right now. One game a week, two games a week, whatever. He shows up and makes crucial differences. The key here is Messi's playmaking role. He may not score four goals again, but the kid does his fair share of passing in Barcelona's intricate system and will even chase a guy down for the ball.
One intriguing case we usually see is that the team competing on all fronts will push forward with wins and let them roll no matter how little rest they get. I think Inter and Barca are set to do that in their domestic leagues: always stay on their toes.
Mosse: Alvaro Arbeloa does have a pretty good history of playing Messi, though, going all the way back to his Deportivo days and including the first meeting this year, but as you mentioned with Messi playing in a more central role the two may not be matched up together that often. I think Messi deserves every bit of praise he's receiving. One Madrid columnist joked today that the only person capable of slowing him down is Diego Maradona. But I go back to the fact that Ronaldo is having an incredible season as well that has been largely overlooked. I disagree with the comment made in our article grading Madrid's signings that he isn't playing as well as in his United days. Ronaldo is on top of his game right now and I think primed for a great performance on Saturday.
Rigg: Well, Ronaldo may be playing as well as his United days, but he's less crucial to the Madrid system. He's sort of a free floater with Rafael van der Vaart or Guti picking up a lot of the creative duties and Higuain as the main striker. It leaves Ronaldo free to score boatloads of goals, sure, but it diminishes his importance overall. That's why I think Messi will shine brighter in the Clasico.
Mosse: It will be very interesting to see how both managers line up. You mentioned Guti and van der Vaart. Neither is a lock to start, although with Kaka not practicing at full speed again Tuesday, the Dutchman's chances are looking pretty good. But Ronaldo is not above dropping deep to pick up the ball and creating things on his own. He's done that plenty of times this season and I'm sure will do whatever is necessary to win this game. Ronaldo has also been very sharp with free kicks lately and is an aerial threat as well. Messi is obviously the safe bet to shine brightest on Saturday. He's the man of the moment. But don't forget there will be another Ballon d'or winner on the field with a major point to prove.
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