Just three days after locking horns at the Bernabeu in the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, Real Madrid and Barcelona will meet once again, this time in La Liga.
Madrid were excellent in the first 45 minuted of the second leg, but conceded three times without reply after the break to suffer a 4-1 aggregate defeat to the Catalan giants.
Not only did Barca progress to the final at Madrid's expense, Ernesto Valverde's side are currently top of La Liga, some nine points ahead of their bitter rivals ahead of this weekend's clash.
Saturday will bring the 241st competitive El Clasico. Madrid lead the head-to-head 95 wins to Barcelona's 94, with the remaining 51 games finishing level.
Worryingly, though, Madrid have not actually won a home Clasico in the league since October 2014, while they were thumped 5-1 at Camp Nou in the reverse match earlier this season.
Some of the world's best players will be on display at the Bernabeu this weekend.
With that in mind, Sports Mole has selected the best team from both squads, using only players available for the clash in the Spanish capital.
There is no question that Barca's Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Madrid's Thibaut Courtois are two of the best goalkeepers in the world, let alone La Liga. Ter Stegen has outperformed Courtois this season, though, keeping 14 clean sheets in his 34 appearances in all competitions. The 26-year-old has developed into a genuinely world-class stopper over the last couple of seasons and is the pick between the sticks in this XI.
The right-back position is an interesting one, with Sergi Roberto and Nelson Semedo appearing in that area for Barca this season. Neither has done much wrong, but Madrid's Dani Carvajal is arguably the leading right-back in world football. A solid defender and dangerous going forward, Carvajal sails into this team. Marcelo's struggles this season, meanwhile, means that picking the left-back role is straightforward. Sergio Reguilon has been impressive for Madrid, but Jordi Alba has 14 assists from defence this season.
No-one would have been more disappointed with Wednesday's loss than Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos. The 32-year-old has been at his inspirational best this season, scoring 11 times from centre-back. Ramos will always have his critics, but he has been Madrid's leading defender this term and sails into this XI. Barcelona's Gerard Pique secures the position alongside Ramos, with the Spaniard again as solid as a rock for his team. Clement Lenglet has performed well in the absence of Samuel Umtiti and deserves a mention, but Raphael Varane, despite his excellence, has not really been consistent enough.
A three-man midfield includes two from Barca and one from Madrid. Luka Modric has been Los Blancos' best midfielder this season, outperforming Toni Kroos and Casemiro in the middle of the park. Modric is joined by Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic. There is not a better holding midfielder than Busquets in world football, while Rakitic has contributed four goals and seven assists in all competitions during the 2018-19 campaign. Arthur has certainly played his part for Barca this season, but the Brazilian has only just returned from injury following a period on the sidelines with a hamstring problem.
Lionel Messi, meanwhile, absolutely sails into the starting XI. It is difficult to find the right words for the Argentine, who has 33 goals and 18 assists in 33 club matches this season. Messi was not at his brilliant best on Wednesday, but struck a hat-trick against Sevilla in the league last weekend.
The role at the tip of the attack is a straight fight between Karim Benzema and Luis Suarez. The former has scored 20 times in all competitions this season and certainly deserves a mention due to his brilliant form. Suarez, on the other hand, has been far from his best in recent weeks. The Uruguay international scored against Sevilla last weekend, though, before hitting a brace in El Clasico on Wednesday. Following his two-goal showing at the Bernabeu and his treble in the reverse league match earlier this season, it is very difficult to leave the South American out.
The final position in the XI goes to Vinicius Junior. The 18-year-old did everything but score against Barca last time out, causing Semedo a whole host of issues and creating a couple of excellent chances. There is no question that the teenager needs to work on his finishing, but he has scored seven times and contributed 13 assists in 31 appearances for Los Blancos this season. There is every reason to believe that he could go on to become one of the world's best players with some hard work and fine tuning.
Marco Asensio has not really played enough football this season to be considered, while Ousmane Dembele just misses out for Barca. It is not difficult to leave Philippe Coutinho on the sidelines, though, with the Brazilian finding it very difficult to show his best form for the Catalan giants. Gareth Bale, meanwhile, continues to cut an isolated figure at the Bernabeu and it seems extremely likely that the Welshman could leave the Bernabeu in this summer's transfer window.
Matt Law
