Barcelona v Real Madrid: El Clasico Clash
MADRID, Sporting Alert – Real Madrid head coach Zinedine Zidane has named his 19 member squad for this weekend’s La Liga El Clasico clash with Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Saturday.
The battle between Spain’s two powerhouses will be on matchday 14 and streaming live on beIN Sports Connect USA. beIN SPORTS USA will also have live coverage of the contest, which kicks-off at 3:15 p.m. GMT local time and 10:15 a.m. ET.
Despite a few injuries, Zidane will still have a solid squad to select from with the likes of Sergio Ramos, Raphaël Varane, Pepe, Marcelo, Luka Modric, Isco, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and James Rodríguez all fit and ready to go.
Midfielder Toni Kroos and forwards Alvaro Morata and Gareth Bale remain out due to injuries.
Kroos, who has been sidelined with a leg injury, trained with the rest of his Real Madrid teammates, but was not included in Zidane’s El Clasico squad.
It is understood the German is still not match ready and it would have been pointless to name him the squad because he wasn’t going to play.
Meanwhile, Bale misses out after undergoing a successive ankle surgery last month, while Morata is still unavailable as he continues to recover from a hamstring tear he picked up on duty with Spain.
The muscle problem has ruled him out for a month.
Real Madrid lead the Spanish La Liga standings and will hold a strong position over Barcelona if they avoid defeat this weekend.
Tough El Clasico Ahead Battle
“It’ll be a difficult match, it’s going to be very tough,” Zidane said at his press conference. “That’s to be expected, we’re playing against a great team. We’ve prepared really well for the game and we’re ready.
“People want to see a good football match and the most important thing for us is to stay focused on the job we have to do.”
The Frenchman added: “We’re only thinking about putting in a good performance. I’m not considering a draw, a win or a defeat.
“I’m not thinking about the result, just about giving everything so that after the game we won’t be able to say we were lacking something.
“The result is the consequence of what you do out on the pitch. If we do things well, we’ll be able to get a positive result.”
REAL MADRID SQUAD:
Goalkeepers: Navas, Casilla and Yáñez.
Defenders: Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Varane, Nacho and Marcelo.
Midfielders: James, Casemiro, Kovacic, Modric, Asensio and Isco.
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Lucas Vázquez and Mariano.
