Gavi, Frenkie de Jong and Dani Olmo are all back to match fitness for FC Barcelona, but are they ready to feature from kick off and go the full 90 minutes at Real Madrid? Well, the first name in that trio, most likely not, as he recently recovered from a very long term injury. However, the other two members of that triad could receive an El Clasico starting assignment, maybe.
We skipped the Barca team news post for this one as little has changed since the resounding triumph in midweek continental competition.
El Clasico FYIs
Kickoff: Sat Oct. 26, 9PM, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain
FC Barcelona Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Real Madrid Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Watch: ESPN+, ESPN Deportes
El Clasico Series History
La Liga: Madrid 79, FC Barcelona 74, Drawn 35
La Liga games at El Estadio Bernabéu: Madrid 37, FC Barcelona 19, Drawn 13
FC Barcelona 29% Draw 24% Real Madrid 47%
La Liga Standing, Form: FC Barcelona 1st, 27 pts WWLWW Real Madrid 2nd, 24 pts, WWDWW
Eric Garcia is touch and go/a doubt while the same sizable contingent of long-term injury absentees remain out. So without further ado, we’ll get to the lineup prediction.
FC Barcelona Starting XI Prediction at Real Madrid (El Clasico)
Inaki Pena; Jules Kounde, Pau Cubarsi, Inigo Martinez, Alejandro Balde; Frenkie de Jong, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Raphinha; Robert Lewandowski
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.