It has been a long time since a Clasico between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona required so much attention. Perhaps since the epic duels between Cristiano Ronaldo’s gang and Leo Messi’s. All the ingredients come together again to make this very special match a special moment in the season. Both teams are in great shape, they are coming off a great scenario in the Champions League and are led by two of the best current players in the world: Vinicius Jr on the one hand, favorite for the Ballon d’Or, and Lamine Yamal from the other, still very young but already at the top.
For this shock, Carlo Ancelotti still has some small problems in his group. 3 of his usual starters are injured (Courtois, Carvajal and Rodrygo), while David Alaba is on the infirmary for a while longer. It is therefore Andry Lunin who will start in the Madrid goal. Lucas Vazquez and Ferland Mendy will undoubtedly occupy the sides of the defense, surrounding a hinge composed of Éder Militão and Antonio Rüdiger. The absence of Rodrygo makes the Italian coach think about a change of system. He could offer a 4-4-2 diamond pattern already seen last year, instead of the usual 4-3-3 at the start of the season.
Rain of stars on the field
Aligned at the low point of midfield against BvB in C1 this week, Federico Valverde could well be moved to the right side, while Jude Bellingham would take the top of the diamond, as was often the case last season. The Englishman would leave the heart of the midfield to the duo Aurélien Tchouaméni-Luka Modric, the first as a recuperator, the second as a playmaker. The attack will then be led by Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappé, who will experience his very first Clasico. The Frenchman will be expected at the turn for a confident Catalan defense, even if Marc-André ter Stegen is injured until the end of the season. Until then, Iñaki Peña, the German’s understudy, has kept things quiet.
He should be protected by a typical quartet with Jules Koundé on the right and Alejandro Balde on the left. The very young but equally talented Pau Cubarsí would be associated with Íñigo Martínez in the central hinge. Excellent against Bayern Munich on Wednesday, the Marc Casadó-Pedri duo has a good chance of being renewed, leaving an element like Frenkie de Jong on the bench. To support them, the trend is for Fermín López to start again, leaving Dani Olmo, back from injury, as a replacement. Up front, there should be no change compared to the last match. Lamine Yamal and Raphinha will undoubtedly support Robert Lewandowski.
For this match, Parions Sport en Ligne offers you a welcome bonus of €85 and €15 no deposit with the code FM15. A 1st goal from Kylian Mbappe against FC Barcelona earns you up to €415.
