Real Madrid vs Barcelona: La Liga Preview

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The Bernabeu is all set to host the biggest fixture in a calendar year as Real Madrid faces Barcelona in a La Liga fixture on Saturday. The ‘El Clasico’ has a special place in the hearts of the soccer fans, as the Spanish elites have had a great cut-throat battle every time they’ve met in the past for a clash. What makes it more interesting is the quality of the players that are a part of this battle.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Preview

This is a Madrid home game. They are sitting in the second spot in the La Liga standings. They are just three points away from the leaders FC Barcelona, which makes it a perfect opportunity for the Whites to climb to the top. Real Madrid was seen struggling in the first half of their UEFA Champions League tie against Borussia Dortmund as they went 2-0 down. Around 15 minutes into the second half, Los Blancos began to collect goals in their account as Rudiger stepped up to score a header.

Ever since that minute, it was all Real Madrid for the rest of the game. Vinicius Junior stood up to score a beautiful hat-trick, which truly defines his talent and also helps justify his potentially winning the Ballon d’Or next week in Paris. Real Madrid completed a solid comeback; they went from 0-2 to win the match at 5-2.

Barcelona, on the other hand, has also been at the top of their game since Hansi Flick took charge. They thumped Bayern Munich with a score of 4-1 on Wednesday at Camp Nou. Raphinha was in great form as he displayed a proper winger performance by registering a hat-trick. Being at the top of the league table, the Reds and Blues are somewhat comparable with each other.

Team News

Real Madrid

Real Madrid is dealing with a double blow ahead of their next match. Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo are out for the next two to three weeks after picking up injuries against Bayern. In Courtois’ absence, Andriy Lunin is expected to take over as the starting goalkeeper.

Meanwhile, without Rodrygo, the team may shift its formation, with Bellingham positioned behind a striking duo of Vinicius Junior and Mbappe. Although Bellingham is still searching for his first goal of the season, Vinicius hit a hat-trick against Dortmund, bringing his total to eight for the campaign. Mbappe has also found the net eight times in 13 appearances.

Barcelona

Over at Barcelona, the trio of Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo, and Gavi have all recovered from their injuries but may still start on the bench for El Clasico. Marc Casado, who has earned high praise from his manager, is expected to join Pedri in midfield, while Fermin Lopez, fresh off two assists against Bayern, is likely to play in the number 10 role.

Despite their recoveries, Barcelona remains without key players like Ronald Araujo, Ferran Torres, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen due to injuries. However, Eric Garcia might be available to rejoin the squad.

Possible Starting XI

Real Madrid possible starting lineup: Lunin; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappe

Barcelona possible starting lineup: Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, I Martinez, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Lewandowski

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Article originally written by Vinay Batra.