Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: Three players who must step up in El Clasico for Barca to pull off the upset

Wednesday’s soccer slate in Europe is a big one, but in Saudi Arabia arguably the biggest game in the world will be played as Real Madrid face Barcelona in El Clasico. The meeting outside of Spain is in the semifinals of the Spanish Super Cup, with the winner taking on either Atletico Madrid or Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. Barca have had their hands full during an up-and-down season as they look to find their footing under new boss Xavi. Real Madrid are the top team in Spain with an electric attack and the clear favorite to win this game, this competition and La Liga.

Here are the three players who need to step up for Barca to pull off the upset on Wednesday.

1. Gerard Pique 

Gerard Pique has gone the full 90 minutes in 12 of his team’s last 14 games, and you can bet his friend Xavi will count on him here. While Pique is nowhere near the player he once was, he is still a reference point in the side and somebody who can make an impact on both ends.

And what this is about is basically limiting damage as Real are almost certain to score. Barca have conceded a goal in eight of their last 10 games, while Real had a streak of 10 consecutive games scoring before surprisingly failing to scoring in two of…