Muna --from Paseo de la Castellana-- and @footballstrat couldn't join us in the pre-Clásico Q&A yesterday, but they had things to say and were kind enough to write them down for all of us to read. So here they go!

Note: If you are in Clásico frentic mode, then make sure to also listen to yesterday's pre-Clásico Q&A with Aaron and Karan. And we have plenty to read too:  Aaron's selection of hot and not hot players, Karan's views about another Clásico as well as tactics analysis, Ankit's Dr Jekill & Mr Hyde approach to this Real Madrid-Barça, ZeusZidane's insights regarding our RB problem and Apakshit's preview.

1- Should Cristiano start or be benched?

Muna: In a word, No. You don’t bench your best players in big games like the clasicos. At this point there is some truth to the notion that he is not the same player against Barcelona, but then again, who is? Barcelona’s system is designed to choke opposing players, regardless of talent, making it almost impossible for the real Ronaldo to show up during these games. The most recent example I can give to support my stand has to be  Neymar vs Barcelona. By keeping the ball, they manage to paralyze the most talented players in the game, and reduce them to nullity. That’s the case with Ronaldo at the moment. Messi is part of a system; he plays in a team that keeps hold of the ball for large portions of games, hence chances are that he will have a better game than the Portuguese. But I would dare to argue that Messi would struggle if he switched sides and played against Guardiola’s Barcelona. However it is imperative that Ronaldo finishes off his chances like the two he missed the last time around. He must take his chances however few they may be.

@footballstrat: Not on my watch. Ronaldo is one of those players who can make the difference in any game, against any opponent. His attitude and mentally is - in my opinion - just plain perfect, so the only reason people could give for benching him would be his current form. And as far as I'm concerned he doesn't play too bad, it's just that he doesn't find the net that easy as he normally does. But then again, we can question ourselves: haven't we become just a slightly bit too spoiled after his scoring streak of last season?

2- Are you in favor of a 3-CB defense? Does your answer depend on Pepe's being fit or not?

Muna: A lot will depend on whether Pepe is fit or not. With rumors coming out that he is likely to miss out on this one, things become a lot more complicated for Mourinho. I’m a huge advocate of defending deep and hard against Barca. I simply don’t believe we can beat them in an open game of football, so if Pepe is fit then I think he should play the dm/cb/destroyer role he played last season. We defend deep, hit them on the break, and hope for something good.

@footballstrat: No. I believe we would invite Barcelona to do what they do best: give defense splitting passes and crosses. With a 3-CB defense it's inevitable to not play on 'a line' too much, which is a big 'no no' against Barcelona.

3- Last time Madrid and Barça locked horns in Madrid, some journalists caught Higuaín saying he would settle for a tie (he said that before the game). Do you find this statement shocking? Is this the right attitude? Is this Madrid's problem: the attitude? (see also Ankit's last post about the attitude issue).

Muna: To an extent, yes the prospects are troubling. I read Ankit’s post, and I agree with a good part of it. But I’ve always felt that the effect of the psychological state of the players going into the clasicos tend to be overstated. I think it’s the only answer left to a question that nobody has a clue on how to respond. How do you defeat Barcelona? I don’t know, nobody knows (if they’re honest with you), not even Mourinho himself, and the psychological state of the players is the least of our problems against Barcelona. We still haven’t found the right system; a strategy that will nullify the threat they possess every second they hold on to the ball, and still grant us some level of efficacy on the attack; one that will strike a balance between pressing high up the pitch, and defending deep in an attempt to preserve energy. That’s what we need. Following the last clasico, I read the reviews of so called experts, all of them trying desperately, I might add, to give condensed solutions to what a frightening number of people think is a lucid problem. No it is not. The questions are many; How high up the pitch should we defend? How attack-minded should we be going into the game? How do we deny them time on the ball by pressing and still preserve enough energy to play intensely for 90 minutes? And so on.
I was watching the last clasico on tv and after we went ahead within 22 seconds, I noticed the emphasis Guardiola’s men placed on just keeping the ball and waiting for us to come for it, most times in their own half of the pitch. I said to myself,” Wow this must be really tiring…… and humiliating” I could tell that it was only a matter of time before the players got tired of chasing shadows, and slowly begin to fade away. I also noticed how disjointed the team was every time they won the ball back; how worn out they seemed, so much so that even our biggest ball hugs (Di Maria for example) hurriedly attempted quick and, inevitably, pointless passes in failed efforts to not lose the ball. It’s one of the reasons I don’t think we can beat them in an open game of football. It’s difficult, if not futile to keep up that intensity for 90 minutes. So while Higuain’s comment may hint at a certain lack of enthusiasm from the players, I honestly don’t think they are that big a deal. We have bigger problems than that.

@footballstrat: I find this shocking indeed. Wasn't this the exact reason why Schuster got sacked at the time? We are Real Madrid and we should never settle for a draw. Football is a form of entertainment and it's the club and players responsibility to fulfill this task. Also, if you settle for a draw you will never win.

4- Barça's new signings (such as Alexis and Cesc) seem to be key these days, or at least Guardiola makes them start and play a lot. What does that inspire you, especially when you compare with our own newcomers?

Muna: It’s hard to compare, really. Both players are practically strikers/wingers in Pep’s system, so the parameters like goals and assists which you would generally use to assess their season so far, may not be fair to ours. Coentrao has been pretty decent since signing during the summer, Varane hasn’t started a lot of games, but in the few he has played in he has impressed, and Callejon continues to take advantage of his opportunities. Sahin’s injury was unfortunate, and has made his first season in Spain complicated, Altintop is neither here nor there. In terms of how many games the newcomers have played, I’d say that Pep has done a better job in that regard, than Mourinho.

@footballstrat: Unfortunately I don't think our newcomers come close to the level of players like Cesc and Alexis. Especially Cesc is an immense upgrade for Barcelona's squad - he should have been our 'next Xabi'.

5- What formation and lineup do you expect both teams to display?

Muna: It’s difficult to predict what lineups and formations both teams will come up with. Mourinho has hinted that things will be different this time around, but he refused to say what and how. Guardiola is as unpredictable as always, but I expect him to come out with the same line up he had in the previous clasico (with the exception of Valdes. Pinto will start). As for Mourinho, I think he’ll go with a 4-3-1-2:

Iker
Coentrao-Albiol-Ramos-Marcelo
Pepe-Alonso-Lass
Ozil
Benzema-------------Ronaldo

If Pepe is fit, I think he will play in the middle with Alonso and Lass. Ozil starts the game with Di Maria on the bench, and since we’re almost sure Ronaldo will start, I’m guessing Mourinho will go with Benzema as his partner upfront, with Ronaldo drifting to the left every now and then. Depending on how the game is going for us in the second half, Di Maria will come in for either Ozil (if we’re winning) or Lass (if we’re losing).

@footballstrat: Tough call. I truly hope Mourinho won't pull too much tactical tricks again with - for example - a trivote on the midfield. We should have faith in our own strength and trust our footballing abilities. Real Madrid should try to dominate the play, instead of leaning back and inviting Barcelona to attack. My gamble? Barcelona will 'officially' play a 4-3-3, but on the pitch it will be a 4-4-2 (with Cesc falling back). We will play a 4-2-3-1, relying on our creativity. Wishful thinking? We'll see.

6- Would you rather play Özil, Kaká or both? Benzema, Higuaín or both?

Muna: I’d go with Ozil, and Benzema as starters. Kaka and Higuain can always be subbed in depending on how the game is going.

@footballstrat: I prefer Özil any day over Kaká. I have always been a fan of the player Kaká when he played for Milan. Now I doubt whether 1) he didn't find his previous form back yet or 2) he doesn't suit the Spanish type of football (where there is generally less space 'behind' the opponents'  defense than in Italy).

7- A prediction of the score?

Muna: We will lose by 2 goals to zero. However, if we play with a lot of intensity and a certain level of composure, we will score a consolation goal.

@footballstrat: 1-1.

8- Any other topic/comment?

Muna: Can you take another loss in the Clasico?
Yes, a thousand times Yes!! In fact I find it funny when people say they cannot take another loss to Barcelona, because it’s simply not true. If we could take all the losses we’ve suffered over the past 3-4 years (including one 2-6, and a 5-0 loss) then we can take a lot more losses and move right on. What we should be worried about, though, is whether the team can bounce back from another defeat in time to face an on-fire Athletic Bilbao side at the Bernabeu, and if so, will the fans even show up for the game after being disappointed once again? These things disturb me more than a possible loss to Barcelona. It’s been barely over a month since we last faced them, and barring an upset, there is no logical explanation I have as to why we can win them this time. We simply aren’t good enough.

@footballstrat: I wish both the press as supporters of both clubs would talk more about football and less about the (less pretty) side show stories. We should all realize Real Madrid vs. Barcelona is a Champions League final-material and therefore enjoy these two great teams play against eachother.

Muna [@Muna_092]: I am Nigerian, have been a die hard Madridista for 10 to 12 years and I am currently in college. I aspire to be a medical doctor.

@footballstrat: Located in The Netherlands, @footballstrat is the co-founder of one of the biggest official recognized Real Madrid peñas outside Spain. He visits a couple of home games every season and thanks to connections within the club he had the chance to become a socio in 2007, a title he still carries with full pride every day: "siempre fieles".