"Thats an area that was a strength of ours

Johan Cruyffs passing has changed the complexion of this weekends El Clasico, according to Sky Sports Spanish football expert Terry Gibson. Barcelona take on Real Madrid live on Sky Sports 2 HD this Saturday, in their first match since Cruyff lost his long-term battle with lung cancer at the age of 68.Luis Enrique and Zinedine Zidane have Champions League games against Wolfsburg and Atletico Madrid respectively to prepare for the following week, but Gibson believes neither side will consider resting players for this huge clash. Both sides have delivered their own tributes to Cruyff this week and the news, which shook the world of football, is set to add an extra dimension to El Clasico.It gives it a new slant to the game, Gibson told the Sky Sports La Liga Weekly podcast. La Liga Weekly- March 28 Listen to this weeks podcast on Cruyff, El Clasico and more. We were looking at this game prior to the death of Johan Cruyff, Real Madrid have got Wolfsburg, Barcelona play Atletico Madrid, you look at the league table, which suggests that Barcelona could rest one or two players for the Real Madrid game, of course they wouldnt want to lose. Johan Cruyff lost his battle with cancer at the age of 68 Now, it is going to be a massive occasion and I think you can look at the game totally different now. The strongest team from Barcelona will play.A talking point ahead of the game is Barcelonas goalkeeping situation. Marc-Andre ter Stegen suggested his future at the club was in doubt due to a lack of playing time.Ter Stegen said: If the situation remains the way it is at the moment, however, then were definitely going to have to talk - theres no avoiding that. Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, currently on international duty with Germany, has suggested he may have to seek a move away from Barcelona However, Claudio Bravo is currently first choice keeper at the club despite being 32-years-old and his excellent form since arriving at the Nou Camp is signalled by the fact that he won the Zamora Trophy for conceding the fewest goals in the Spanish top flight last term.It is going to be an interesting situation, Gibson added.The choice is one where there is a near 10 year difference between the ages, Claudio Bravo and Ter Stegen.Do you stick with the 32-year-old who hasnt let them down, hes been super, faultless since he joined the club, or the 23-year-old for the long term who has got potential, add into the equation speculation in the Spanish press that they are looking at Courtois.It does appear as if there is a big question mark over the goalkeeper for Barcelona next season. The future of Barcelona looks bright as their Under-10s team beat Espanyol in the final of the La Liga Promises Iscar Cup Real Madrid also have a few selection issues to iron out with Sergio Ramos struggling with a back complaint alongside the need to get the best out of their front three of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have failed to win an El Clasico when they have all started together.Gibson believes Zidanes team are the perfect opponents for Barcelona on Saturday as Real look to close the 10-point gap between the two clubs. Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale have never beaten Barcelona when they have all started together I think it is fitting that they are playing Real Madrid, who have behaved impeccably as well with their tributes to Barcelona and to Johan Cruyff.I just hope we have a real top class game that is fitting of the memory of Johan Cruyff. I think that is possible because of the league table positioning, the pressure is off both teams slightly, so I am really hoping for a good game this weekend.Watch Barcelona v Real Madrid live on Sky Sports 2 HD this Saturday from 7pm. Also See: LISTEN: La Liga Weekly podcast Enrique v Zidane How Barca thrashed Real Barca pay tribute to Cruyff Cheap Air Max Plus Australia . There will be no Down Under four-peat for Djokovic, as the eighth-seeded Swiss slugger Wawrinka outlasted the second seed 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 at Melbourne Parks Rod Laver Arena in yet another five-set thriller in their burgeoning rivalry. Air Max Plus Australia Cheap . "Well over 50 (per cent)," coach Claude Noel said Tuesday after practice, where the Jets were looking at ways to cut down the scoring chances theyve been giving away. http://www.airmaxplusaustraliacheap.com/. TSN Hockey Insiders Pierre LeBrun and Bob McKenzie both reported Thursday that there have been ongoing trade discussions between the Oilers and Los Angeles Kings over forward Sam Gagner. Air Max Plus Wholesale . Mesoraco hurt his hamstring while scoring from second in Friday nights 5-4 loss at Atlanta. Chapman was hit by a line drive during an exhibition game on March 19, breaking his nose and a bone above his left eye. The left-hander looked strong while throwing 43 pitches in batting practice before Saturday nights game against the Braves. Cheap Air Max Plus .com) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mat Latos had an arthroscopic procedure performed on his right elbow last week, the teams official site reported Wednesday. PHOENIX - Going into Fridays game the Raptors had one noticeable advantage over the surprisingly competitive Suns - their size. The Raptors owned the NBAs seventh-best rebounding rate and ranked fourth on the offensive glass while the Suns, a team that starts two point guards and plays mostly outside of the paint, have struggled on the boards despite their hot start to the season. For Toronto, the game plan was simple. "Try to make them pay for playing small," Dwane Casey emphasized after morning shoot around. It turned out to be easier said than done. "Thats an area that was a strength of ours, rebounding, but now its one of our weaknesses," Casey said after his team was out-rebounded 53-36, including an 18-11 disparity on the offensive boards, in a 106-97 loss, the Raptors fifth straight. Caseys club misjudged this Suns team like others have done early in the season. As Toronto found out, their stature can be misleading. Their toughness set the tone and the Raptors, for all of the mismatches they planned to exploit, were in over their heads once again. "Its about toughness, its about attention to detail, its about being locked in and knowing your guy is coming in behind you," Casey exclaimed. "When you give them 18 more bullets, you cant win in this league." The Raptors played frustrated, which didnt necessarily translate to that desperate style of play that Caseys been looking for. Markieff Morris jawed at Jonas Valanciunas, baiting him into a double technical, Kyle Lowry pouted and complained until he was whistled for a tech of his own and former Raptors castoff PJ Tucker got under the skin of DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay all night. The Suns did a lot of talking, but they backed it all up. Morris missed just three of his 14 attempts recording a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds and Tucker scored 18 to go along with a career-best 13 boards. "This team is a very physical team," Casey said of the Suns. "Their wing players are very physical. They are tough match-ups and you have to meet that physicality with physicality and we didnt do it on the boards." With a roster designed to be bad while incoming visionary Ryan McDonough collects picks and cap space, rookie head coach Jeff Hornacek has the Suns playing hard despite being outmatched in the talent department most every night - not unlike the team that overachieved iin Caseys first year with the Raptors.dddddddddddd On the opposite end of the spectrum, nothing is going right for the Raptors. The team still sits dead last in the league in assists (they recorded just 15 on Friday) and their primary shot-takers cant seem to knock down shots. Gay and DeRozan combined to shoot 11-for-30 on a night in which both were oddly ineffective and often unnoticeable. Efficiency be damned on some nights, but generally one or the other - recently its been DeRozan more often than not - manages to put points on the board. It was not the case on Friday. Most concerning for Gay continues to be his missed shots around the rim, an ongoing trend this season. Gay was just two-for-seven in the painted area against the Suns and his percentages around the bucket have dropped significantly compared to his career norm. "Its tough because hes getting hit, but he has to hit first," Casey said of Gays struggles in the paint. "Hes not getting the benefit of the calls, but some of them are not fouls. He has to go in there and hit first and think about dunking the ball rather than finessing." Johnson fills in for injured Hansbrough The Raptors certainly missed the toughness of Tyler Hansbrough, who exited the game just two and a half minutes in after taking an inadvertent elbow from Channing Frye and spraining his left shoulder. He did not return and is considered day-to-day. In his place, Amir Johnson, who lost his starting gig to Hansbrough last week, stepped up and chipped in a season-best 22 points in 33 minutes off the bench. It was the second-straight game in which Johnson resembled his old self, a positive sign for this team moving forward, especially if Hansbrough is forced to miss time. Looking ahead, or not looking ahead Prior to the game, Casey insisted he and his team would not be distracted by a boisterous announcement made by Kobe Bryant and the Lakers earlier in the day. Bryant, who has been recovering from his Achilles injury, will make his season debut in Los Angeles against the Raptors on Sunday. "I heard that," Casey admitted. "But I know Im not [looking ahead] and I havent heard our guys mention anything about it as far as looking ahead to Sunday." "We have no right to look ahead," he exclaimed before the loss. "Weve got to be the hungry team, weve got to be the desperate team tonight." ' ' '