A member of Real Madrid's security team was injured last night after the squad's coach was hit by bottles and stones as it arrived at their hotel inBarcelona, ahead of tonight's hotly-anticipated Clásico against their arch-rivals Barcelona.
About 2,000 mainly supportive fans were waiting at Barcelona's El Prat airport to welcome the leaders of La Liga, with trouble only flaring when the team arrived at the Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I. Supporters of both Real and Barcelona were waiting for them there, and missiles thrown by a small group, believed to be from the group of hardcore Barça fans known as Boixos Nois, broke a window near where Raul Albiol and Alvaro Arbeloa were sitting, and hit a member of the security staff on the back of the neck.
Players were forced to run between the coach and the hotel, but none of them sustained injuries.
The build-up to the game has been more intense than usual given the clubs' league positions – one point separates them, with Barcelona having lost one game and Real Madrid still undefeated – and the presence in their line-ups of the most celebrated players in the country, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. Both teams have played 12 league games this season, in which Ronaldo has scored 15 goals, with Messi two behind with 13
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