Barcelona play the biggest game of their season so far as the Blaugrana travel to the Spanish capital to face eternal rivals Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in the first El Clasico of the campaign.
The Catalans got a big win over Olympiacos in midweek to boost their confidence ahead of the trip to Madrid, but will face their toughest challenge so far against Xabi Alonso’s side while dealing with a serious injury crisis.
Here’s how we think Hansi Flick will line up his troops for Sunday’s battle:
Defense
If the crazy number of injuries isn’t enough, Barça appear to be dealing with a viral stomach bug that caused a couple of players to miss training during the week, so it’s hard to know exactly who will be 100% for this one.
Andreas Christensen was one of the players affected by the illness and will likely not start this one, and Jules Kounde has also emerged as a doubt because of a knock but should be good to start. We think Ronald Araujo will be Pau Cubarsí’s partner at center-back, with Eric García on the bench and Alejandro Balde retaining his spot at left-back.
Midfield
Frenkie de Jong became a doubt for the game due to illness but has been back in training, and the Dutchman is expected to start this one in a three-man midfield alongside Marc Casadó and Pedri.
Attack
There was hope for Raphinha to return for this one but the Brazilian appears to have suffered a setback on his recovery that could sideline him for a few more weeks, so we’ll likely see the same front three that started against Olympiacos: Lamine Yamal on the right, Marcus Rashford up front, and midweek hero Fermín López on the left.
Possible XI: Szczesny; Eric, Araujo, Cubarsí, Balde; De Jong, Casadó, Pedri; Yamal, Rashford, Fermín (4-3-3)
How do you think Barcelona should line up against Real Madrid? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!
