Anything you can do, we can do better - that could be the rallying cry for Spain's Primera Liga this weekend as Barcelona v Real Madrid takes centre stage. After the lack of spectacle and inspiration of England's 'Grand Slam Sunday', El Clasico is a perfect opportunity to show that La Liga is the most exciting league in Europe.
There was certainly no lack of excitement or inspiration when Barcelona hosted Real at the Nou Camp last season. The match finished 3-3 - three times Real led, with Ruud Van Nistelrooy scoring twice, and three times the precocious Lionel Messi scored to peg them back. Ultimately, Barca's failure to win cost them the title, which was decided on the head-to-head record between the two teams.
The stakes are just as high this time, with Barca trying to close Real's four-point lead at the top of the table. Surprisingly, given their pre-eminent position in Spanish football, it is fairly rare for these two sides to clash when they are the top two in the table, so that adds extra spice to the occasion.
Another rarity with El Clasico is the low number of away wins, given how closely matched the teams usually are. Barca have lost only one of the past 24 at home to Real in La Liga, though that defeat was as recently as 2003-04 - Frank Rijkaard's first season at the Nou Camp. That match took place around this time of the year four years ago, but Barca were in disarray at the time - they were eighth in the table, new signing Ronaldinho was struggling for fitness, and there was a new board in place as well as a new coach.
Soon after losing to Real, Barca turned the corner under Rijkaard and made up a lot of ground to finish second to Valencia in La Liga that season. Along the way they overtook Real, as well as beating them at the Bernabeu, so that defeat at the Nou Camp can almost be dismissed.
It is not quite so easy to dismiss the fact that Barca under Rijkaard have won only one of four home matches against Real, but Barca have won twice at the Bernabeu in that period, so there is no suggestion of an inferiority complex. Samuel Eto'o's return from injury, and his immediate rediscovery of the scoring groove, is a major boost for Barcelona and they have a strong chance to make it 17 wins out of the past 25 at home to their archrivals.