We'll fight for this league-Sergio Ramos

WILL BE BACK

"We gave it our all. We needed that little bit more luck in the first half. In the second, they controlled the game more. We're gutted", said the Real defender, who failed in his marking of Jérémy Mathieu in Barcelona's first goal.

Barça pulling away: "It's only a four-point lead. We'll continue fighting for this league. We can't throw in the towel."

A lot of yellow cards in the game: "If there is one referee that I admire, it is Mateu Lahoz, but he has his manias, like we all do."

"La Liga is not yet over"

SEEMS CONFIDENT

the Italian insisted that he had "good feelings" about how his team played for 60 minutes of the match.

"We are hurt, but it's better to have good feelings about how we played and with that in mind be confident going into the next games, both in the league and Champions League", observed Ancelotti.

"I am not happy with the result. The best thing I take away from this is how the team played", he reflected.

The manager lamented all the chances that his players created but were unable to convert in the first half.

"Two teams of great quality have faced each other. Ours were doing very well until the second goal and then it was very tough for us. We had good control of the game, very solid at the back. In the end, what we lacked was a little level-headedness to draw level", he said.

Ancelotti wants the good football that he saw at the Camp Nou to continue in la Liga, although he did admit that winning the league would be no easy feat as Barça now had a comfortable four-point lead.

"We have to continue as we played today. Of course, la Liga is now more complicated, but we're not giving up. The good things that we did in the first half have to carry on", he said.

The manager was adamant that "la Liga is not over", as "in football, anything can happen." "It's more difficult, but our aims remain the same: la Liga and the Champions League."

Regarding the differences that he saw in the two teams' games, he said, "We played better for an hour and then Barcelona was better on the counter. Good for them."

Cristiano shuts Camp Nou up

CALMA CALMA

Cristiano Ronaldo scored following a fantastic assist from Karim Benzema and then went up to the Camp Nou faithful asking them to quieten down a bit.

The Portuguese ace managed to draw his team level with their arch-rivals after half an hour's play. Barça had previously gone one up thanks to a goal headed in by Mathieu.

Ronaldo connected with a beautiful back-heeled pass from Benzema and put in a low hard shot that the outstretched Claudio Bravo couldn't get a hand to. The Real nO7 celebrated his goal by facing the home crowd and asking them to take it easy.

This has been the ninth goal that the Portuguese forward has scored at the Camp Nou playing in all competitions for 'Los Blancos'.

It was also Benzema's ninth assist of the season. The Frenchman is the third best passer in the league after Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

James, the toughest boots to fill up

NEEDED 

Barcelona vs Real Madrid brings the best football players on the planet together on the same field of play. The most notable absence will be that of James Rodríguez.

There are also still doubts as to whether Sergio Busquets will make the squad or not as a result of his ankle problems.

The fractured foot which James suffered in the game against Sevilla has deprived Carlo Ancelotti of one of his best players this season.

The former Monaco star arrived in Spain with questions surrounding the €75 million fee which 'Los Blancos' paid for him, but he has won over the Bernabéu faithful with goals, assists and superb football.

An undisputed starter in the middle of the pitch, Rodríguez has scored eight goals in the 20 league games which he has played, and has also come up with seven assists in the domestic championship.

They will be breathing sighs of relief in Barcelona, because James really made them suffer in the first meeting between the clubs this season. Real won 3-1 and the Colombian schemer provided an assist during the 90 minutes which he played against Luis Enrique's men.

The saving grace for Real is that James's absence at the Camp Nou will be mitigated somewhat by the return of Luka Modric to accompany Isco and Toni Kroos.

Troops collide

MILLION DOLLAR BOYS

The three members of each team's strikeforce boast impressive technical and physical capabilities, but different individual profiles and a different collective attacking philosophy.

Barcelona continue to emphasise positional play, with more build-up in the transition between defence and attack, and are more about moving the ball well.

Real Madrid are more direct, using the pace of their players to find spaces in behind the opposing defenders.

Interestingly, both Luis Enrique, this season, and Carlo Ancelotti, since last season, are managing to get their teams to use their rival's approach as well.

In other words, when this Barça side have the opportunity to stage a counter attack, they do so and steam forward rather than getting hung up on their traditional, more measured approach (see, for example, the goal against City at the Camp Nou). Real Madrid, meanwhile, with midfielders of the quality of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and Isco, are also trying to build up the play more and get into attacking positions.

Second chance @ Camp Nou

BRING THE BEST IN EACH OTHER

There isn't all that much mileage in the Real Madrid engine room for Sunday's big game when you consider it as a unit. Carlo Ancelotti knows that the 'Clásico' could well be decided in midfield, yet will put his trust in a quartet who have barely featured in unison. Nevertheless, he remains confident that they are proficient with the system he has been drumming in and can operate perfectly well together.

Apart from the defeat in San Sebastian, the foursome have only played 196 minutes together. This includes two joint cameos in the Champions League: in the group stage at home to Liverpool (Bale came on for James in the 62nd minute, giving him 28 minutes with the other three) and in the last-16 second leg against Schalke (Modric made his comeback after a long injury layoff and the four clocked up 33 minutes together).

Modric's spell on the sidelines means that the quartet were unable to team up in the Spanish Cup or the Club World Cup. They did see some limited action side by side - 13 minutes, to be precise - in the UEFA Super Cup, once Isco was introduced off the bench.

The idea behind Ancelotti's use of this 'fantastic four' at the Camp Nou is to prevent Barça monopolising possession. It remains to be seen, however, whether this relatively untried unit can function effectively enough to achieve this goal.