Barcelona will take on the European champions without Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi is the most important player in the Barcelona squad, without a shred of doubt. The 32-year old Argentine maestro is one of the greatest footballers of all-time, and shares a special relationship with the most competitive fixture in world football, with 26 goals in the Clásico.
The side will be without him for the first time since 2015, when Real Madrid suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat at home. This will also the first Clásico without either Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo in 11 years, with the Portuguese superstar deciding to move to Juventus in the summer.
Barcelona have picked up some nice momentum after registering a 2-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League, with Messi’s replacement Rafinha scoring the opener. But Ernesto Valverde may decide against retaining the lineup from the Inter match-up.
Expected Starting XI (4-3-3):
Goalkeeper: Marc-André ter Stegen
Right-back: Sergi Roberto
Centre-back (right): Gerard Piqué
Centre-back (left): Clément Lenglet
Left-back: Jordi Alba
Central playmaker (right): Ivan Rakitić
Holding midfielder: Sergio Busquets
Central playmaker (left): Arthur
Right winger: Rafinha
Centre-forward: Luis Suárez
Left winger: Philippe Coutinho
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The defence will be remaining the same from the game against Inter, with Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba acting as a full-backs, enclosing a defence consisting of Gerard Piqué and Clément Lenglet, with Marc-André ter Stegen between the sticks.
The midfield, too, should remain as it is. There will be a lot of responsibility upon Ivan Rakitić to limit Isco, while interim captain Sergio Busquets will be charged with intercepting forward balls from the likes of Luka Modrić and Toni Kroos. Arthur should be in a free role.
In attack, Ernesto Valverde should field Philippe Coutinho down the left and Luis Suárez up front, to keep alive the old Liverpool link-up. On the right, the Basque coach should keep Rafinha in the side. The Brazil international has experience in big games, and is mostly reliable.
The 25-year old playmaker will be able to keep his cool in such an intense game, which may not be true for either Ousmane Dembélé or Malcom. If Rafinha is unable to produce the goods, Dembélé could easily make an impact off the bench, as could Malcom.
Real Madrid are undergoing a very poor spell of form, edging past minnows Viktoria Plzeň by a single goal. They have dropped 14 points in the last 6 matches in all competitions, including a 1-0 defeat to 10-man CSKA Moscow. Even without Messi, Barcelona should be winning this easily.