Madrid play it cool for showdown with arch rivals

REAL MADRID assistant coach Aitor Karanka has played down the importance of tonight’s first Clasico of the season and insisted the Primera Division leaders will not alter their approach to end Barcelona’s recent superiority in the fixture.

Madrid have won their last 10 La Liga games, 15 in all competitions, and go into the fixture looking down on their arch rivals. They have a three-point advantage at the summit and a game in hand.

But when they go head to head it is invariably the Catalans who come out on top — Barca have lost only one of their 11 meetings since Pep Guardiola took charge in 2008 and have never lost under his stewardship at the Bernabeu.