Barcelona vs. Real Madrid Messi vs. Ronaldo: Which Squad has the Better Strikers in Sunday's Clasico?

The Clasico is upon us as this Sunday as Real Madrid and Barcelona take each other in the first official match of the 2012-13 season. They played earlier in the season in the Spanish super cup and split two one goal decisions, but Real Madrid won the Cup after scoring more away goals than their rivals. As we head into the Sunday bout, we will preview the two sides at every position to determine which squad has been better and has a greater chance at winning going into Sunday's match.

We will now look at the Forwards.

Barcelona

Goal scoring has not been a huge problem for Barcelona. The goals have become increasingly harder to come by the last few weeks, but the team knows how to score and has yet to be shut out all season. They lead la Liga with 17 goals and scored four against Madrid in the Super Cup matches (including 3 at home). Lionel Messi has been a beast with 6 goals to date in La LIga and two in the Super Cup, but that has not meant that no one else is chipping in. David Villa has three goals and has only played a little over 100 minutes this season. This duo could spell doom for Real Madrid.

Against Real Madrid Barca's offense has been dominant. Messi has 15 goals against his rivals including 8 goals in League Play. With four more goals, he will pass Alfredo Di Stefano as the all time goal scorer in Clasico matches.

Real Madrid

These forwards are just as potent with Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Gonzalo Higuain. The offense is starting to come as Madrid has scored seven of its 12 goals in their last two La Liga matches and despite the poor start, they are still third in goals for in La Liga. They managed four goals against Barca in the Super Cup, but the big elephant in the room is Cristiano Ronaldo. In league play he has been poor against Barca with just 2 goals and just eight overall. It is essential to note that his two Super Cup goals this season could be indicators of better things to come, but if Real Madrid wants to win, Ronaldo needs to be a huge threat.He has been tremendous in the last two games with two triples, so he may be coming to form at the right time to take down Barcelona.

Edge: Barcelona. Messi has been better in Clasicos than Ronaldo.

To find out which squad has a better keeper, click HERE.

Find out who has the better midfield HERE.

Find out which squad has better defenders HERE.