GOOD AFTERNOON FROM BARCELONA
Welcome to SunSport’s live coverage of the El Clasico between LaLiga rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Nou Camp.
Barca’s under-fire manager Ronald Koeman is set for what could be a make-or-break match following a rough start to the season that has seen the club dealing with financial turmoil and losing the legendary Lionel Messi.
The Blaugrana will be without Martin Braithwaite and Ousmane Dembele due to a knee injury, whereas Pedri and Ronald Araujo are sidelined with a thigh and hamstring problem respectively.
Koeman could also be missing Jordi Alba, who picked up a foot injury during Wednesday’s Champions League win over Dynamo Kiev, which means that 18-year-old Alex Balde could be set for baptism by fire.
Ansu Fati is likely to displace Luuk de Jong after signing a new six-year deal with Barcelona that includes a staggering €1billion (£846million) release clause.
Real manager Carlo Ancelotti, on the other hand will be without Dani Ceballos and Gareth Bale as they are nursing a hamstring and ankle injury respectively.
However, Ancelotti could see both Eden Hazard and Dani Carvajal playing some part during the El Clasico.
Karim Benzema looks set to play as he remains absent from the ongoing trial surrounding alleged blackmail of Mathieu Valbuena, even though he missed training on Friday
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