"Better than Guler," "Blessing in disguise" - Barcelona fans take shots at Real Madrid youngster after Fermin Lopez scores in El Clasico win

Barcelona fans have claimed academy product Fermin Lopez is better than Real Madrid's Arda Guler after he scored in the Blaugrana's 3-0 win in El Clasico on Saturday (July 29).

The La Liga heavyweights locked horns in a pre-season friendly at the AT&T Stadium in Texas, United States on Saturday. Goals from Ousmane Dembele, Lopez and Ferran Torres earned Xavi's side a comfortable victory over Los Blancos.

Lopez, 20, particularly received rave reviews for his 24-minute cameo in the second half. The midfielder, who joined Barcelona from Real Betis' youth ranks in 2016, bagged the team's second goal of the evening with a left-footed effort from outside of the box.

Lopez's goalscoring performance drew comparisons with his Real Madrid counterpart Arda Guler, who Carlo Ancelotti's side signed for €20 million from Fenerbahce amidst competition from the Blaugrana. Fans of the Catalonian outfit claimed that the El Campillo-born midfielder is an upgrade on the Turk, with one tweeting:

"(Fermin) Lopez is better than (Arda) Guler."

Another tweeted:

"Who’s Arder Guler? Everything happens for a reason and I call this a blessing in disguise."

Here are some more reactions on Twitter:

Apart from scoring Barcelona's second goal, Lopez also provided the assist for Torres' goal in stoppage time. He was, therefore, one of the standout performers in the game, earning an 8.0 rating on Sofascore. Aurelien Tchouameni was Real Madrid's best-rated player with 7.8.

Lopez, who also featured in the team's 5-3 loss against Arsenal in mid-week, completed two of three dribbles he attempted during his short time on the pitch. He played two passes with 67% accuracy and created one goalscoring chance. The youngster also had 10 touches of the ball and conceded possession three times.

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Why did Real Madrid's Arda Guler not play against Barcelona?

Arda Guler, 18, did not feature for Real Madrid against Barcelona on Saturday. He had not trained with the rest of the team for several days and was recently diagnosed with an internal meniscus injury in his right knee. The midfielder later confirmed that he has been forced to return to Spain for recovery.

Concerns about Guler's fitness arose after he was missing from Madrid's first training session in the United States. There were suggestions that the teenager's injury is minor and that he would feature against Manchester United on Thursday (July 27). However, that was not to be.

According to Spanish sports MARCA, Carlo Ancelotti suggested that Guler could feature against Juventus on Wednesday (August 2) ahead of the El Clasico. The Turk, though, has to wait longer to start playing for Los Blancos. It's unclear when he will return to action.