Legendary rivalry
Barcelona striker Messi is not just leading the scoring charts for his club, he is also on top of the table in the league, notching up 23 goals in La Liga in 2,303 minutes.
The Rosario-born legend's position in the team is undisputed, having featured in 27 games so far and started all but two of them.
Leading marksman
As for Real Madrid, they boast Benzema, who is Los Blancos' leading marksman and who sits in fourth place in the race for the Pichichi accolade, with 18 strikes to his name.
He has played a total of 2,203 minutes and has become an essential part of Zinedine Zidane's masterplan, starting all 25 games he has featured in this campaign.
Exceptional individuals
These are two exceptional individuals who leave their mark every time they take to the field, who relentlessly find the back of the net and who are simply undroppable for their clubs.
Yet what they offer as footballers differs substantially from one another, with the Frenchman and Argentinian possessing contrasting skill sets, dribbling techniques and shooting abilities.
El Clasico kick-off time
The Real Madrid vs Barcelona El Clasico kicks off on Saturday (April 10) 8pm local time. For the Indian audience the match will be at on Sunday (Aprill 11), 12.30 am.
The La Liga Facebook page will stream the match live for the Indian audience.