This weekend we have the first of four El Clásicos in eighteen days in what could be the least important El Clásico ever. Why? In terms of the league, FC Barçalona have an 8 point lead with 7 games to go, an easier schedule, and the likely (barring a miracle performance by Madrid on Saturday) head-to-head tiebreaker. Well, if you buy that the league is wrapped-up, and most people do, then any El Clásico would provide plenty of morbo at least, right? I’m not so sure here as well because the next three games for the Copa del Ray and Champions League semifinals provide instant silverware. If may make most sense for both Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola to view this match as a test battle in larger war. There is potential for minimal morbo.

Then again, it is an El Clásico, there has to be morbo.

In case you were wondering what the heck is morbo, I wasn’t referring to the human-hating alien news anchor in Fox’s Futurama nor the Mexican electronica-rock band. Rather, I am referring to the self-sustaining and ever-growing hatred between Spanish football teams that WFD Regular Phil Ball brilliantly wrote about in morbo: The Story of Spanish Football. If you follow La Liga, this is a must-read. Morbo is more than hatred, a derby, or a disease. It spreads all over the place. Think about it. Even, GolTV in the United States is running El Clásico history and preview shows all week. Catch them if you can, they are really good.

This first of four El Clásicos will be fertile ground for the seed of morbo to take root with each of these four encounters sure to grow morbo more and more until one of these two European giants is ousted from the Champions League. Although these games are across three different competitions there will be a crescendo at the end. The Champion’s League is the trophy this specific vintage of Barça needs the most to be considered the best ever. Further, the League and Copa del Ray will not be enough for Barça if they become a stepping stone for Madrid’s tenth UEFA Champions League Trophy, Mourinho’s third with three clubs, and a back-to-back coaching two different teams between Intermilan and Madrid. The team passing through the UCL Final will feel the victor over these four matches.

At the end of this year, a Champions League title could garner Barça the title as the best team ever or grant Mourinho the designation of best coach ever.

This one means the least and will set the stage. What will happen in round one? WFD had on GolTV’s Juan Arango and he said to expect the unexpected to a certain degree, that Pep might go to a 4-1-4-1. For the El Clásico this past fall, I wrote a dissertation of the tactical match-ups because I felt I had a grasp on what Mourinho and Pep would likely do. The only significant differences are Kaka returning and Puyol’s and Higuaín’s fitness. I believe writing again in detail on tactics may be a waste of time because I think Juan is right; we’ll see something in this match out of the ordinary tactically. What that is, I don’t know.

However, I will take a stab at what will happen. Fortunately, a 5-0 drubbing will not happen. We will be entertained. The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu will be electric. The Madridistas will deliver on creating and nurturing some morbo. Having the least riding on this game, it would be the time to make a racy statement of some sort. Madrid will start firing on all cylinders and it will appear that Barça have met their match. Madrid will knock in one or two in the first half early-on. But, Barça will keep passing-away like they do, and do, and do again, gaining more and more momentum. Pepe or Sergio Ramos will make a silly mistake that gives Barça an advantage and they’ll climb back into it to make it a draw.

Stephen Kuzner is a Baltimore-based Blogger for WorldFootballDaily.com who specializes in La Liga. You can reach him on Facebook at facebook.com/BarcaBlogger or Twitter at @twitter.com/BarcaBlogger.