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Barcelona will take on Real Madrid in what is expected to be one of the most thrilling El Clasicos in recent times.
As Barcelona travel to lock horns with their bitter rivals Real Madrid tonight, the stakes are higher than they have been in recent years. Barcelona are sitting second in the La Liga table with 65 points, just one shy of Atletico Madrid. Real Madrid are third with 63 points.
As such, this Clasico will have a telling impact on the La Liga title race and both teams are expected to come swinging out of the gates tonight. Both teams have injury concerns and look well-matched on paper and this could prove to be Ronald Koeman's toughest test yet in La Liga so far.
Barcelona are unbeaten in the league since the turn of the year and Lionel Messi's sublime form has propelled them back into contention for the crown. Ronald Koeman and co. are now eyeing a domestic double.
Without further ado, let's take a look at Barcelona's probable starting XI for El Clasico tonight.
How will Barcelona Lineup vs Real Madrid | El Clasico (2020-21)
Goalkeeper
Barcelona's Mr. Dependable between the sticks, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, will start in goal. The German international has kept 10 cleansheets in 23 appearances for the Catalans in the league this term. He has not let in more than a goal in nine games since their 4-1 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.
He has also kept five cleansheets in that time and his assured presence at the back has been vital to Barcelona's title-charge.
Barcelona defenders
Ronald Koeman has chosen to go with a three-man defense in recent times. Frenkie De Jong started in defense against Real Valladolid but Ronald Araujo is expected to return to the fray and enable the Dutchman to play his preferred role in midfield.
Gerard Pique has been named in the squad and could start. If that's the case, Gerard Pique will be partnered with either Clement Lenglet or Ronald Araujo at centre-back.
The Catalans are expected to field Sergino Dest and Jordi Alba on either flank. The full-backs will need to be on top of their game tonight when they come up against the in-form Vinicius Jr. and Marco Asensio.
Real Madrid's frontline has been in great form in recent weeks and the Barcelona defenders will have their work cut out for them tonight.
Barcelona Midfielders
We don't think that Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman will go with a three-man defense tonight because they will need quality personnel at the centre of the pitch to go toe-to-toe with the Real Madrid midfield.
Pedri and Sergio Busquets have done a good job together in central midfield and will need Frenkie De Jong to join them in order to keep up with Real Madrid's experienced midfield combination of Casemiro, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
De Jong has been in good form of late and they will need his calm head and technical finesse to navigate what is expected to be an intense midfield battle. Both Toni Kroos and Luka Modric have been in great form and Ronald Koeman will want his midfielders to not afford them much time or space on the ball tonight.
Barcelona forwards
Lionel Messi will lead Barcelona's frontline against Real Madrid tonight. The Argentine has been playing some wonderful football of late and has been extremely productive in terms of goals and assists since the turn of the year.
He did struggle to hit his stride in the early part of the season but has looked way more settled in recent times. He has led Barcelona's resurgence from the front and has played the biggest role in reviving their La Liga title charge this season.
In his last 10 matches for Barcelona across all competitions, Lionel Messi has scored 10 goals and provided five assists. He has not had much luck in El Clasicos in recent times but going by his current form, he should be able to make an impact tonight.
Antoine Griezmann is expected to be deployed on the right side. The Frenchman has been in good form and scored twice for France during the international break. Prior to that, he found the net in Barcelona's games against Real Sociedad and SD Huesca.
Ousmane Dembele will join Antoine Griezmann and Lionel Messi in attack. Dembele's pace will cause problems for an injury-ravaged Real Madrid backline. He will keep the Blancos' fullbacks on their toes with his propensity to run in behind the defense.
Dembele can shoot with both feet and his unpredictable nature is certain to cause problems. If the match does end up being open and end-to-end, he will have a huge role to play tonight.
Ronald Koeman is expected to shake up his system tonight as they square off against their bitter rivals. Their chances could very well depend on how his players take to the transition.
