Incredulous at the decision, he pushed referee Ricardo De Burgos Bengoetxea and was subsequently slapped with a five-game ban, missing Real's opening four Liga games. The champions host their bitter rivals on Saturday sitting fourth in the Liga standings, 11 points behind Barca, although they have a game in hand. Twenty one players have scored more than the usually prolific Portuguese in Spain's top flight this season, with Messi leading the way with 14 goals. HIGH STANDARDSRonaldo has compensated for his poor domestic form by maintaining his usual high standards in international competitions. But even if he does, Real will still face a huge task in chasing down the Catalans, who marched into an early lead while Ronaldo was shackled by his ban, partly due to mimicking Messi's iconic celebration.

Source: The Star December 20, 2017 13:41 UTC