Why Barcelona v Real Madrid won't just define trophies, but trajectories

Football is theatre. Triumph or tragedy, fantasy or farce. But there's a moment just before the curtain rises, when the stage is still, the lights dim, and there's a silence that crackles with a mixture of tension and anticipation.

That's where Barcelona and Real Madrid find themselves now.

As the season winds toward its decisive final act, the two great rivals prepare for a double collision.

Saturday's Copa del Rey final in Seville will be the first, while El Clasico will follow at Montjuic on 11 May. The outcomes will define not only trophies, but trajectories.

For Barcelona, a chance to complete a remarkable renewal, a chance to show their critics yet again that rumours about their death truly were exaggerated. For Madrid, perhaps a closing chapter, the end of this particular rodeo.