Battle of the No9 in Spanish press ahead of El Clásico

The first El Clásico of the season takes places on Staurday night, and it seems as though the Spanish media is focused on the two team's attacking options in the build up to the fixture.

Of course, the match will be without the iconic rivalry of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo; who are both absent, the former due to injury, and the latter due to having departed La Liga for Serie A this summer. 

And so, there is much anticipation as to which player will grab the headlines during the clash this weekend, with a battle between the two number 9's, Luis Suarez and Karim Benzema, the front page news. 

Spanish media outlet 'Marca' lead the way in proclaiming that the match will be decided by the two team's designated strikers when they face off on Saturday; the newspaper has an image of Suarez and Benzema on the front page, carrying the headline 'The test of the number 9'. 

On one hand, Suarez has scored 6 goals in 9 appearances against Madrid, while opponent Benzema has only been involved in 16 goals in 28 matches played against bitter rivals Barcelona.

However, it is widely believed that prior form means nothing when it comes to 'El Cláisco', and so in spite of any previous records in the fixture, either striker could decide the match for his respective side. 

Uruguayan Suarez has been vocal about the upcoming match in the media this week, telling 'Marca': "A Clasico is a clasico, in the last one at the end of last season we were already champions and it was a game played at a high tempo. It is always the way and you don't think about what state of mind the other team is in when they arrive."

Aside from 'Marca', spanish sports magazine 'Mundo Deportivo' has firmly stated their belief that Suarez will be the man to win 'El Clásico' for Barcelona, describing the former Liverpool man as 'the other white nightmare'. While 'Sport' magazine described him as 'Hungry' to win the match for his team. 

In contrast, outlet 'AS' believe that Madrid's best hope for taking a victory from the Nou Camp is to use Isco as the focal point for their attack. The paper focused on Lopetegui's use of the Spaniard in the team since his arrival, and suggests the under-pressure boss it set to 'cling to Isco', and put all his hopes behind the play maker, as he opts for a 4-4-2 formation, with Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema being the two forwards at the top end of the pitch.