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          Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti under spotlight in pre-Clasico media reports

          • Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondentMar 21, 2015, 09:16 AM ET

          The future of Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti is hanging in the balance ahead of Sunday's Clasico at Barcelona, according to reports in both the Spanish and Catalan sports press on the eve of the game.

          After Friday's Champions League draw paired Madrid with neighbours Atletico, Marca's cover on Saturday morning had an extreme close-up of Ancelotti's face, with Lionel Messi and Diego Simeone reflected in the Italian's eyes, and the headline: "Look what's coming."

          Inside the newspaper, Marca wrote: "Carlo Ancelotti knows that some high-profile future-defining moments for both him and his players are approaching fast."

          It added that, while players, fans and directors all had faith in the coach, Ancelotti must now "prove that he and his squad are more than alive and can reproduce the ruthless displays needed to mount a serious assault in Europe and to fight Luis Enrique's men in La Liga down to the wire."

          Alongside that story was another piece saying Barca coach Luis Enrique had "already overcome his crisis," emphasising the point.

          Catalan daily Sport took a similar line, with its cover claiming that Luis Enrique could determine the fate of Ancelotti, arguing that Blancos president Florentino Perez will fire his coach if Madrid "suffer a painful defeat" in Sunday's game.

          Back in the Spanish capital, AS' cover focused on the forthcoming "derbi" in the Champions League quarterfinals, but the Blancos-backing paper said Barca had upped the tension even further by now sending a public letter requesting the Copa del Rey final be played at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, knowing full well Madrid's fans or directors did not want that to happen. "If tomorrow's game lacked any heat, here were the chillis," AS journalist Santi Gimenez wrote.

          Mundo Deportivo's "2 Clasicos" cover also referenced the Champions League, with Barca's quarterfinal opponents -- Paris Saint-Germain -- pictured wearing their white change strip to stress the point.

          Inside Mundo Deportivo, there is a piece claiming this fixture was always Luis Enrique's favourite game.

          It argued that the Asturian, who as a player joined Barca straight from Madrid in a highly controversial transfer, had always enjoyed exacting revenge in subsequent games. It also recalled a famous quote from after his first Clasico for Barca following his 1996 move: "I don't recognise myself wearing white, not even in a sticker album."

          All the sports papers on Saturday morning were also full of former players and celebrities giving their predictions on the game. Ex-Madrid midfielder David Beckham, who had made a flying visit to the Spanish capital on Friday to promote his new clothing range, told Marca that his "heart" told him his former team would win 2-1.

          Mundo Deportivo had "Lord of the Rings" star Viggo Mortensen, a big football fan, writing on his personal blog, which is usually dedicated to Argentine side San Lorenzo.

          "Cristiano Ronaldo has become more insupportable than ever, if that was even possible," the Danish-American actor wrote. "A complete egotist. He does not celebrate his teammate's goals, does not defend, and only thinks in his own personal goals tally, for his duel with Messi. They gifted him the last Ballon d'Or, and since then he has done nothing but cry and throw tantrums.

          "Meanwhile, La Pulga [Messi] keeps giving assists, scoring goals, putting up with kicks, defending as much as he can, and organising his team's attack."

          Another sign of the global focus on the game was the news in Sport that 805 media professionals, representing 164 media outlets from 35 different countries, would be at the Camp Nou on Sunday evening.