Barcelona vs. Real Madrid Combined XI: Surprises in the attack?
By Eesh Jhamb
El Clasico is here. The biggest game is here. The long wait has finally come to an end. FC Barcelona will no longer have Lionel Messi by their side to play the epic clash and even as a Madridista I am somewhat sad that we will no longer be able to watch him play against Real Madrid.
Well, what’s done is done now, and even without Lionel Messi, the competition will still be one of the most intense ones. In one of the previous articles I wrote, I mentioned that FC Barcelona will be the toughest opponents for Real Madrid in LaLiga, and irrespective of the form the Culers are playing in, I still back my statement.
Here are the players expected to be available for both teams.
Real Madrid:
Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin, Luis Lopez
Defenders: Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Jesus Vallejo, Nacho Fernandes, Ferland Mendy, Marcelo Viera, Miguel Gutierrez
Midfielders: Carlos Casemiro, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Antonio Blanco
Attackers: Rodrygo Goes, Marco Asensio, Karim Benzema, Mariano Diaz, Eden Hazard, Vinicius Junior
Team News: Benzema (suffered a small knock against Shakhtar) will be available for El Clasico. Carvajal and Hazard have recovered and can travel to Barcelona with the rest of the squad. Luka Jovic, Isco, Gareth Bale, and Dani Ceballos are recovering and are not available for the game.
FC Barcelona:
Goalkeepers: Ter Stegen, Neto, Inaki Pena
Defenders: Sergino Dest, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Oscar Mingueza, Samuel Umtiti, Eric Garcia, Alejandro Balde, Sergio Roberto
Midfielders: Sergio Busquets, Riqui Puig, Yusuf Demir, Philippe Coutinho, Frenkie De Jong, Nico Gonzalez, Gavi
Attackers: Memphis Depay, Ansu Fati, Luuk De Jong, Sergio Aguero
Team News: Pedri, Araujo, Braithwaite, Dembele, and Alba will miss the game due to injuries.
Now, I’ll be choosing the best combined XI (in a 4-3-3 formation) from the two sides. Also, the players I choose will be from the players who are available for the fixture.