The last two meetings between Barcelona and Real Madrid may have only produced four cards, but with all of them coming past the 70th minute, there is an interesting angle for this match.
Endrick has had to bide his time at his new club, but his fierce determination makes him an interesting candidate to be booked against Barcelona. Within less than 40 La Liga minutes, the 18-year-old has already been booked - a trend we saw from his time in Brazil.
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Endrick: Hero or villain?
Endrick’s playing time has undeniably been limited. Despite his very limited game time, his aggressive nature has been on display - an aspect he’ll need to adapt if he’s to succeed in Europe.
As mentioned, in just 39 minutes of La Liga, Endrick has already picked up a yellow card (in his 22 minutes against Alaves). He’s played 67 minutes in the Champions League, but also managed to pick up a card as Real Madrid lost to Lille in France.
Endrick can show his frustration on the pitch when things don’t go his way. Whether they have injuries or not, Barcelona are going to be a tough task for Real Madrid, and if they fall behind, Endrick may be thrown on.
Will he be the one to secure the win, or will he end up in the referee’s book once more?
Stats steer towards Endrick booking
Endrick’s rough nature when not in possession is well-known. Last season with Palmeiras, the teenage star picked up seven yellow cards in Brazil. Many of these were due to his late tackles on defenders attempting to clear the danger.
When frustration starts to affect his game, he tends to pick up yellow cards. Despite a very small sample size to go off, this hasn’t changed since his move to Real Madrid.
This aspect of his game needs to be stamped out in the long run, but it may take a reckless red card to truly address this particular weakness. This doesn’t only happen when his team are behind. His first yellow for Real Madrid came when his team were leading 3-0, and he’d only been on the pitch for 14 minutes.
He’s eager to make an impression and assert his presence in the game, but this could backfire - potentially during El Clasico if he gets the chance to play.
Referee Jose Maria Sanchez has already given out 47 yellow cards and two reds in just eight matches this season, including five when Barcelona faced Valencia.
An aggressive, frustrated striker going up against a card-happy referee looks like a good angle.