Before Zinedine Zidane took the top job at Real Madrid in 2016, Barcelona had a firm stranglehold on their rivalry with Los Blancos.
The Catalans often emerged on top in El Clasico, though Zidane announced his intentions for a shift in the balance of power with his coaching debut in the fixture.
The works at the Bernabeu
The 2-1 win at the Camp Nou in 2016 was Zidane‘s first Clasico in charge of Real Madrid and his first of five victories in 10 matches so far against Barcelona.
In those 10 meetings with the Blaugrana in all competitions – eight in LaLiga Santander and two in the Supercopa de Espana – the French coach has lost just twice.
Not even Lionel Messi is as potent against Zidane‘s Real Madrid teams. He’s played the full 90 minutes in three Clasicos since the former midfielder became Los Blancos boss, losing two.
An unbeaten streak
Zidane hasn’t lost any of the three Clasicos he’s coached in since returning to the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu hotseat in 2019.
Since then, Real Madrid have beaten Barcelona on two occasions, including a 3-1 win at the Camp Nou earlier this season, and drawn once.
Going back further, Los Blancos also drew at the Camp Nou in the final Clasico of Zidane‘s first stint as coach, giving him an unbeaten run in the fixture of four games.
On Saturday night, Zidane and Real Madrid will be looking to extend their recent impressive run against Barcelona as they try to take a big step towards defending their LaLiga Santander title – something they haven’t done since 2008.
