The third and final Clasico of the season is almost upon us. Barcelona make the trip to the Santiago Bernabeu with a view to staying in the La Liga title race, although Real Madrid know that a victory for themselves would all-but end the chase.
Both teams come into this one with uncertainties over their starting line-up. For Real Madrid, Ferland Mendy is struggling with a muscle overload, and despite being included in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad, he is not expected to start in El Clasico. Both Sport and Marca believe that Eduardo Camavinga will be at left-back, with Aurelien Tchouameni in at defensive midfield. Furthermore, the latter publication do not expect Dani Carvajal to be fit either, with Lucas Vazquez starting instead.
From a Barcelona perspective, the only question is in midfield, and who will partner Ilkay Gundogan and Frenkie de Jong. Marca believe that Pedri will start, like he did against Paris Saint-Germain, while Sport believe that Andreas Christensen will come back into the line-up after missing out in midweek. The rest of the team will almost certainly remain the same.
It promises to be an titanic clash between these two heavyweights. Real Madrid start as favourites, and rightly so considering their incredible form this season. They can kill off the title race with a victory, but Barcelona’s recent record at the Bernabeu is very good, so they are far from out of this.
