In day two of my preview ahead of Saturday’s big one at the Bernabeu, I look at the key men who can make the difference for Los Blancos against their bitter rivals on the day. From defence, to midfield and attack Madrid have been superb so far this season as a team but as they say, a match such as the Clásico can be won by a moment of magic, or lost by a moment of madness.

I was keen to put my preferred starting eleven forward today, but with the Champions League game at Ajax still to be played (yes, Madrid may have breezed through their group and won it at a canter, but there’s still one game left to play in Holland…), I thought it wise to wait until after it. While Jose Mourinho is expected to put a weakened team out at the Amsterdam ArenA, some first team players that are likely to be in Saturday’s squad could still feature, and I wouldn’t want to put the curse on anyone before the big one.

It’s time. It’s the fixture we’ve been waiting for since… well, since the 2011-12 La Liga fixtures were announced back in the summer. The Spanish Super Cup may have provided a fiery and freescoring match in typical Clasico fashion between Los Blancos and Barcelona (and a bit of eye gouging, too), but the league clashes are what matter most and this Saturday provides the first head-to-head of the campaign between the two Spanish giants.

Madrid host Barca at the Santiago Bernabeu in the most important La Liga match of the season so far. It’ll possibly also be the most watched of the season so far, likely only to be surpassed by the return fixture at the Camp Nou, if at all. The Spanish sports press may have led with Spain’s Davis Cup victory over Argentina on Sunday, but rest assured the majority of the pages from now until the big kick-off will focus firmly on the old foes ahead of this weekend’s clash.

Sporting Gijon and their El Molinón ground have proved trickier opposition than most for Jose Mourinho since he took charge at the Bernabeu. Heck, whenever Mourinho has met Gijon and their manager, Manuel Preciado, whether it be home or away, Los Blancos have struggled, even if it’s been a struggle to an eventual victory.

It’d be fair to say, even though Gijon are currently occupying a relegation spot in La Liga, that Saturday’s trip to El Molinón won’t be a walk in the park, in a traditionally hostile atmosphere, especially when Madrid come to town. This time, however, Los Blancos will have to do it without midfield lynchpin Xabi Alonso, who’s been my player of the season so far. For me, Alonso (who’s serving a one-match suspension) is a bigger loss to Madrid then any of the headline makers this season – be in Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Mesut Ozil or Gonzalo Higuain.

Madrid is well known for being one of the party capitals of the world. Late starts to your Saturday night out, late finishes – or is that early Sunday morning finishes? Either way, Madridistas will have been partying slightly harder then usual this Saturday just gone thanks to two massive results in La Liga, both in the Spanish capital.

Los Blancos started proceedings with a 4-1 victory over neighbours Atletico in a fiery match at the Bernabeu which saw the visitors, travel-shy going into the match this season in La Liga, take an unlikely lead. Two penalties, two sending-offs, play-acting and some tough tackles later and Jose Mourinho’s men finished up with a deserved three points which took them six clear of Barca at the top of the table.

While El Clasico, at just over two weeks away, is already attracting column inches and discussions (many of which will kick in to gear on these blogs from next week) from the press and Madrid fans alike, there’s the small (cough) matter of ‘El Derbi’ to contend with this weekend as travel-shy Atleti make the short trip to the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night.

Just as well that Los Rojiblancos don’t have to travel too far, then, with Gregorio Manzano’s men having lost four and drawn one of their five away games in La Liga so far this season. Their home form is one of the best in the country, but their winless run on their travels, coupled with Los Blancos simply blowing away much of their opposition to top La Liga going into the weekend, means any betting man outside of the Vicente Calderon would be quite foolish to put their money on anything other than another convincing win for Jose Mourinho’s men.

Four days, and two big wins for Madrid – for very different reasons. Victory in a pulsating, often fiery clash at the Mestalla against in-form Valencia was followed by a more emphatic victory in the Champions League against a pretty poor Dinamo Zagreb side on Tuesday night. Different performances, different personnel, but the same outcome for a Los Blancos side that can comfortably adapt to differing scenarios this season – quite an attribute in a season when Jose Mourinho is aiming for a Champions League and La Liga double.

Both matches couldn’t have been much different in terms of performance, in terms of opposition, and in terms of the importance of each one. But the result was still the same. Los Blancos may have rode their luck somewhat at Valencia, but they still came away with a massive victory, even more impressive given it came immediately after the international break. It cemented their place at the top of La Liga, with Barcelona only able to maintain their chase. On Tuesday night, the scoreline flattered the Croatian visitors – something which tells the tale of just how the night panned out. It was Madrid ‘B’, too, giving Mourinho plenty of options for the coming months.