Sunday brings a mega match in La Liga. Barcelona and Real Madrid face off. Excitement is building around the season's first El Clásico.
Whichever team wins this match will stay at the top of the points table. Real Madrid didn't win a single El Clásico last season, so this time, they are desperate to move on from that failure and make a comeback.
On the other hand, Barcelona is plagued by injury problems. Rafinha, Lewandowski, Dani Olmo, and Joan Garcia are not in this match. However, there are many small battles in the discussion.
Barca's young centre back, Pau Cubarsi, will have the responsibility of stopping Mbappe. Mbappe is in fiery form this season with 15 goals in 12 matches. He is Real Madrid's main attacking hope. However, Barca is relying on Cubarsi's game reading.
Yamal hasn't been seen in his familiar rhythm since the start of this season. However, he can become a threat from the right flank in a big match like El Clásico. The challenge of stopping him falls on Real's young left back Alvaro Careyas. He joined Real this season and has caught attention.
This duel will be important in the battle to control the midfield. Pedri is in his best form at the moment. Though Bellingham had a bad start, he is returning to rhythm. This battle could determine the fate of the match.
With Lewandowski and Rafinha uncertain, Rashford could play as Barca's striker. He has been among the goals recently. With Rudiger out due to injury, the responsibility of neutralising Rashford falls on Real's defender Eder Militao. Eyes will be on this duel.
Though not in familiar rhythm at the start, Vinicius Jr. has returned to form in the last few matches. He has scored six goals in the last five league matches. On the other hand, Jules Koundé, Barca's right back, hasn't been seen in familiar rhythm yet after recovering from injury. However, eyes will also be on this duel.
Besides this, eyes will also be on Fermín López, who scored a hat-trick for Barca in the last match. Real Madrid's young Turk, Franco Mastantuono, could play a big role. All in all, football fans are waiting for a high-voltage match.
