Real Madrid And FC Barcelona El Clasico Line Ups

Bitter rivals Real Madrid and FC Barcelona meet at the Bernabeu on Saturday for a La Liga ... [+] installment of El Clasico which could help decide where the Spanish top flight title ends up come May.

Bitter rivals Real Madrid and FC Barcelona meet at the Bernabeu on Saturday for a La Liga installment of El Clasico which could help decide where the Spanish top flight title ends up come May.

While Los Blancos are the reigning champions after clinching a record-extending 36th crown earlier this year, the Catalans are currently top of the table with a three-point advantage over the club from the capital.

Both teams come into the fixture with big wins over two of Germany's biggest outifts, but the contexts of those victories are different.

While Real Madrid beat their 2023/2024 Champions League final opponents Borussia Dortmund 5-2 at the same ground, that victory came after lacking intensity and going 2-0 down in the first half ahead of a Vinicius Jr. second half hat trick helping grab three points.

Over in Catalonia, Barca was on the back foot against its "bogeyman" in Europe Bayern Munich after Raphinha scored in the opening minute and Harry Kane equalized.

After a shaky 20-25 minute spell, however, captain Raphinha and Lewandowski both netted ahead of the Brazilian completing his own hat trick and taking home the MVP award in an eventual 4-1 riot.

Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti said he is not losing sleep over Barca, though he will go into the match with two key absences in goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo.

This means that Andriy Lunin will man the sticks, protected by a back line of Ferland Mendy, Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao and Lucas Vazquez.

In midfield, it is a double pivot of Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni with Luka Modric in front of them.

More advanced are Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde on the left and right respectively, while Ancelotti's front two are Vinicius Jr. and Kylian Mbappe thanks to Rodrygo's knock.

On the other side of the ball looking to contain that firepower will be Barca goalkeeper Inaki Pena and then a back four of Alejandro Balde, Inigo Martinez, Pau Cubarsi and Jules Kounde.

After dominating Joshua Kimmich this week, Marc Casado is the pivot behind a Pedri arguably in the form of his life and a Dani Olmo now fit enough to start matches.

The front line is that which has doubled the tally of goals Madrid's hyped 'BMV' trident of Bellingham, Mbappe and Vinicius has been involved in - 34 to 17 to be exact.

That is of course Raphinha on the left and Lamine Yamal to the right, with Spain's current top scorer Robert Lewandowski in the middle of them.

Real Madrid Starting Line Up: Lunin; Mendy, Rudiger, Militao, Vazquez; Tchouameni, Camavinga, Modric; Bellingham, Valverde; Vinicius, Mbappe

FC Barcelona Starting Line Up: Pena; Balde, Inigo, Cubarsi, Kounde; Casado, Pedri, Olmo; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Lamine