Former Real Madrid player and coach Jorge Valdano hailed the current side's spirit as they moved closer to the club record for unbeaten games in all competitions.
Sergio Ramos saved Madrid from a first defeat of the season when his 89th-minute header secured a 1-1 draw in the Clasico at Barcelona on Saturday.
And if Zinedine Zidane's side avoid defeat in Wednesday's Champions League game at home to Borussia Dortmund they will match the club record of 34 matches unbeaten, set in 1988-89.
Speaking on El Transistor radio show Valdano said Madrid could always find a way to get something out of a game "even when playing badly."
"Madrid have an extraordinary competitive spirit," he said. "Nobody plays bad football as well as Real Madrid.
"Even on the day that they play badly, they beat you just the same. They have so many resources. In contrast, Barca will either dance all over you or they will have real problems.
"Barca are losing this dominance in games that they used to have, and it's a big problem for them."
Valdano said he felt Madrid had more depth to their squad than their rivals.
"They had Gareth Bale, [Alvaro] Morata and [Toni] Kroos injured, and Casemiro not yet at 100 percent, but they still had the resources to keep their season on track," he said.
"By contrast, Barca have some problems to cover injuries or bad moments of form."
He said Zidane had "made sure that all his players feel useful" but added that James Rodriguez appeared to be slipping further out of the picture after being "passed by [Mateo] Kovacic, Lucas Vazquez and [Marco] Asensio and even now by Mariano [Diaz]."
He added: "But apart from him, all the other players, even Mariano, feel that they can make a positive contribution to the team and feel important in the dressing room."