Steve McManaman knows what it's like to play in El Clasico. He was there, in Madrid white, under the lights at the Santiago Bernabeu, when Barcelona came to town. He did the same at the old Camp Nou, buzzing around the pitch as 100,000 Catalonians rooted against him. This is a very specific soccer event, full of energy and, often, anger.
They always feel important, but this year's iteration is curious. Real Madrid are here with a new manager, still adjusting, but also sort of looking the same. At least, that's what "Macca" thinks.
"To be honest, on the pitch, I can't see that many changes that [Xabi Alonso] has made. I've seen them lots of times this year, and they've been almost perfect," the ESPN analyst told GOAL.
But then, there have been results that aren't so good. They were battered, 5-2, in the Madrid derby - a fairly damning result as a new manager is very much trying to find his feet.
"They're beating all the opposition you expect them to beat in La Liga," he said. "They beat the opposition that you expect them to beat in the Champions League. Atletico Madrid away from home was their first big test, and they failed."
It is intriguing, in some senses, that Barca are in a similar place. The reigning La Liga champions are also flawed. For all of the good vibes of Lamine Yamal - someone McManaman dubs a "precious talent" - they are shaky at the back. They beat Madrid on a handful of occasions last year. But they aren't quite the same team, and have had to overcome some early issues. In Marcus Rashford, though, they might just have a world-class talent reborn.
"He needed a change of scenery," McManaman says. "I think that goes without saying. And he's picked the champions of Spain. You couldn't have chosen a better option."
McManaman will join Ian Darke as part of ESPN2, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes' coverage of El Clasico on Sunday from Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid at 11:15 a.m. ET.
The former Liverpool and Madrid man talks El Clasico, Jude Bellingham and La Liga in the latest edition of Mic'd Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL taps into the perspective of analysts, announcers and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.
NOTE: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.