Barcelona attacker Lamine Yamal will break a Clasico record which has been held since 1941 if he takes to the field during his side's La Liga clash with Real Madrid on Saturday afternoon.
The two biggest clubs in Spanish football will lock horns at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys - Barcelona's temporary home - with Camp Nou currently undergoing major renovation works.
Barcelona are third in the La Liga table, one point behind leaders Real Madrid, and the Catalan side's head coach Xavi refused to play down the importance of the match during his pre-match press conference.
There is a chance that the reigning champions could welcome five players back into their squad, with Jules Kounde, Pedri, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong all training on Friday.
However, potentially only one of those will start, with Lewandowski in line to lead the line, having recovered from the ankle injury that he suffered against Porto earlier this month.
© Reuters
Yamal is the favourite to line up on the right, with the Spain international a key player for the club this season, scoring once and providing two assists in 13 appearances.
If, as expected, the attacker does feature, he will break an 82-year El Clasico record.
As it stands, the youngest player to feature in the famous match is Vicente Martinez, who was 16 years and 278 days old when he played for Barcelona against Real Madrid in 1941.
Yamal is 16 years and 107 days old, so he will comfortably break the record providing that Xavi uses him at some stage of the clash in Spain's top flight.
© Reuters
In April of this year, the teenager became the youngest player to appear for Barcelona's first team at 15 years, nine months and 16 days old.
There had been some speculation surrounding his future over the summer due to his contract situation, but it was announced earlier this month that a new deal until June 2026 had been agreed.
Yamal's first goal for Barcelona came against Granada on October 8, with the effort making him both Barcelona's youngest goalscorer of all time and the youngest in La Liga.
The Spaniard has featured in all 13 of his side's matches in all competitions this season despite his age, and he played the full 90 minutes against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Wednesday.
However, he was a second-half substitute against Athletic Bilbao in the league last weekend, with Ferran Torres preferred down the right in what proved to be a 1-0 win for Xavi's side.
Matt Law
