Casemiro: It's anticipated that Casemiro will be plonked in front of the Madrid back four in an effort to cancel out the entrepreneurship of the home side as well as covering the holes vacated by Marcelo. In truth, there is only so much he will be able to do but it's his organisational skills that could prove to play a major part.
Moreover, his individual duels with Iniesta, Busquets and Rakitic will be fascinating to watch. As pointed out by ESPN's Rob Train, alongside Danilo, he has the joint-highest tackles per game ratio.
James Rodriguez: The marginalised player recently vented his frustration for becoming a scapegoat in an interview, which shows how frustrated the Colombia international has been. The Cafeteros captain is unlikely to start, but he certainly should considering the lack of bite that Toni Kroos, in particular, has provided this season.
James can produce the spark of magic necessary to grab a goal, and they need somebody with that ingenuity on the field this weekend who can use the ball efficiently. Zizou should start him just ahead of Casemiro with a view to being a box-to-box midfielder.
Luka Modric: The midfield skirmishes will certainly mean a great deal. The last time these two squared up to each other, Madrid's midfield went missing for large spells and when that happens against Barca, there's always going to be trouble for the opposition.
Time on the ball will be limited for Modric, so he will need to make the most of it when it comes to him. Squawka recently outlined his La Liga season by numbers and it wasn't pretty in terms of goals or assists. Still, he is a game-changer at heart and deserves to start.
Gareth Bale: The Welshman recently eclipsed Gary Lineker as the all-time top British and Irish scorer in Spain's top division so he is sure to be full of confidence. He has netted 13 times in the league since the middle of December so he is certainly in good form.
Zidane will want to get him the ball as often as possible to get at the space that could get neglected by Barca's rampaging full backs. Should be interesting.
Karim Benzema: It's no secret that 'BBC' have been outshone by their attacking trident rivals and Los Blancos’ trio have really been second best. The general consensus is that Madrid’s title surge is already over, so it’s going to be interesting to see just how motivated the team are.
A lot will hinge on how riled-up Benzema is because if he can cause problems for the Barca back four with an early goal and unrelenting energy, his team-mates could join in with some high-pressing action. Casemiro should set the tone in midfield but Benzema ought to follow suit
Cristiano Ronaldo: Rumours of yet another Ronaldo exit have flared up in the build-up to such an iconic match and it won’t be good for his concentration. Combine this with the fans’ outbursts in recent weeks and it’s clear everything is not rosy in Cristiano’s garden.
The best way to silence his critics would be to rattle the net and if anybody can do it, Madrid’s all-time top scorer surely can. Whether or not he’s in the right mindset, time will tell.
