Barcelona’s game could be affected by issue at the Bernabeu that Guardiola complained about

Barcelona visit Santiago Bernabeu tomorrow to take on Real Madrid in a high-stakes La Liga encounter.

It is a must-win game for the Catalans, who are trailing the league leaders by eight points. A mishap at the Bernabeu, therefore, could effectively rule them out from the title race.

Confidence in the Barça camp took a massive hit when they lost to PSG in midweek. And in yet another blow for Xavi Hernandez, it appears the pitch at Santiago Bernabeu is far from being in optimal conditions.

Poor pitch conditions at Santiago Bernabeu

The pitch at Santiago Bernabeu has been the subject of much scrutiny among the opposition teams this season, with Pep Guardiola notably criticising the grass earlier in the month.

Guardiola complained that the pitch was uneven, which affected Man City’s possession-based game and it was hard for the Premier League giants to properly circulate the ball.

Pitch conditions at Bernabeu could pose problems for Xavi’s team (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Now, with just over 24 hours left before Barcelona take on Real Madrid, Manu Amor (h/t FCB World) reports that the pitch conditions at Santiago Bernabeu are far from perfect.

It seems the grass has not improved as per expectations and could appear uneven when these two teams take each other on tomorrow.

How will it impact Barcelona?

It is perhaps safe to say that the pitch conditions at Santiago Bernabeu will impact Barcelona much more than Real Madrid.

The Catalans like to operate with more possession and require proper ball circulation in order to navigate the opposition’s defence.

Real Madrid, in contrast, like a more direct style of football, where pitch conditions might not alter their rhythm.

The ground staff at the Bernabeu, therefore, will face immense pressure to even up the grass as much as possible ahead of tomorrow’s mega event.