How will Barcelona line up against Real Madrid?

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It’s Clasico time!

Barcelona finish off a pretty intense week with a third home match in a row and a visit from Real Madrid in the first Clasico of the season on Sunday.

Ronald Koeman’s side are fresh from wins over Valencia and Dynamo Kiev and know victory will take them above Los Blancos in the table.

Let’s look at who might feature at the Camp Nou.

Defense

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The hosts have issues in defense with Ronald Araujo out injured and Jordi Alba a bit of a doubt after suffering an ankle sprain in the Champions League.

It’s thought Alba will do everything he can to try and play but if he does miss out then it’s likely either Alejandro Balde or Sergino Dest will take over.

Dest could also feature on the right of the defense or may be employed further forward yet again which would mean it’s between Oscar Mingueza or Sergi Roberto at full-back.

Eric Garcia looks set to return in central defense and replace Clement Lenglet as Gerard Pique’s partner after being banned for the Dynamo Kiev fixture.

Midfield

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Koeman could stick with the same midfield three as he’ll still be without Pedri for Sunday’s match. Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, and Gavi will therefore be the favorites to start against Los Blancos.

Attack

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Barca struggled in attack against Kiev in midweek and will need to be a lot sharper if they are to take all three points in El Clasico.

Ansu Fati looks set to start after only playing 45 minutes in midweek and his return to the starting XI will offer optimism Barca can see off Real Madrid.

The youngster seems to already have a pretty good connection with Memphis Depay who should also start after scoring and assisting last time out in La Liga against Valencia.

The other spot in attack is up for grabs but could see Dest employed again out wide, although there’s a chance Philippe Coutinho could get the nod.

Possible XI: Ter Stegen; Mingueza, Pique, Eric, Alba; Busquets, Frenkie, Gavi; Dest, Memphis, Ansu.

How do you think Barcelona should line up against Real Madrid? Let us know your thoughts, predictions and teams in the comments below!

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