FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are going to face off in the coming week-end, in a match that can have significant implications for the league table. While Barcelona still have to play against Shakhtar Donetsk, Real Madrid have already played their Champions League tie and can start preparing for El Clasico now.
For Barcelona, one of the main issues for this coming El Clasico is that of injuries. Several Barcelona players are unavailable to Xavi, and none of them was able to return to group training for the match against the Ukrainians tonight.
Thus, it is highly unlikely that Xavi will be able to get any of the currently injured players in good shape for the Real Madrid match.
Carlo Ancelotti on Bellingham’s fitness
However, Real Madrid have injury concerns of their own, and as Mundo Deportivo has reported, Carlo Ancelotti was asked about the fitness of one of his most important players at the moment, i.e., Jude Bellingham.
The Englishman had to be substituted in the last match because of discomfort, but Ancelotti dispelled any fears about his availability against Barcelona:
“He’s fine, a bit strained in the adductor, but it’s nothing special. He’s fine for Barcelona.”
Ancelotti’s approach to Barcelona match
After the match against Braga, Ancelotti also expressed that he had a clear idea of how to approach the game against Barcelona:
“I am clear about the team that will play in Barcelona. After this match, it’s quite clear what we want to do, try to win by doing our best. We have time to prepare for it. I changed the lineup a bit because some players are dealing with injuries.”
“I didn’t take any risks with Alaba, and the substitutes performed very well. I liked Camavinga a lot as a pivot; he had a great game. We’re approaching the Clásico with all the enthusiasm in the world for an important match.”
Ancelotti’s words can give Xavi a blueprint of how Real Madrid might come up for El Clasico. Bellingham is undoubtedly going to be one of the most dangerous players for the Merengues, while Vinicius is also always a threat on the wing.
But Xavi’s team is more than capable of containing these threats as has been observed over the last few meetings between the two sides.
