Every El Clasico is massive, but we could have a La Liga title decisive edition of the series this Sunday. Lots of team news to cover for the crunch clash in Catalonia, and we’ll start with the visitors. Real Madrid attacking midfielder Rodrygo missed out against Celta Vigo last time due to a fever, but the Brazilian is expected to make a full recovery in time to make the matchday squad here.
Otherwise, beyond Rodrygo, there are no new injury concerns or recovery updates for the visitors.
El Clasico FYIs
Kickoff: Sun May 11, 4:15 PM, Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Catalonia Spain
FC Barcelona Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Real Madrid Preview Material: Team News Starting XI Prediction
El Clasico Series History in La Liga: Madrid 79, FC Barcelona 75, Drawn 35
Google’s Result Probability FC Barcelona 48% Draw 23% Real Madrid 29%
La Liga Standing, Form: FC Barcelona 1st, 79 pts DWWWW Real Madrid 2nd, 75 pts, LWWWW
Team News for Both Sides
Antonio Rudiger, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy Eder Militao, Dani Carvajal and Eduardo Camavinga are obviously already ruled out, for the remainder of the season, for the visitors. Shifting gears to the hosts, there is good news/bad news.
Alejandro Balde, who missed the last seven games with a hamstring injury, has resumed training and is expected to be fit to feature here. Marc Casado (ligament) and Pablo Torre (knee), are unlikely to be fit to for Sunday.
Torre has missed the last two matches while Casado has been out since March. Both may have to wait until the derby against Espanyol next weekend. Meanwhile Marc Bernal and Jules Kounde remain sidelined for the Catalan Club.
Kounde could return in the final week of this season while Bernal is done for the remainder of the term.
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. 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
