S188 Blog: Barcelona v Real Madrid (27 October 2013 ~ 00:00) Preview | Probable Lineups, Missing Players, Team News, Prediction

Probable Lineups

Barcelona

Lionel Messi made his first starting appearance following his injury lay-off against Milan in midweek and immediately returned to scoring ways.
Jordi Alba remains injured, which means Adriano is likely to keep his place at left back.
After resting him midweek, Gerardo Martino could opt for Carles Puyol to partner Gerard Pique in defense. Otherwise Javier Mascherano will keep his place.

Real Madrid

Madrid have few injury worries, though they will regret Xabi Alonso not being fit in time for their showdown with their fiercest rivals.
Gareth Bale is expected to make just his second starting appearance for his new club following his world record transfer in the summer. The Wales international could take the place of Angel Di Maria on the right flank.
Despite getting on the score-sheet for France recently, Karim Benzema's struggles at Madrid continue. With yet another below par performance on Wednesday night, he has again become the centre of debate. Nevertheless, Carlo Ancelotti is being tipped to start him at the Camp Nou.
Ancelotti is set to continue his goalkeeping policy as Diego Lopez will return to the side in place of Iker Casillas.
Along with Lopez, Isco and Daniel Carvajal are the other two changes to the side that face Juventus, with Alvaro Arbeloa and Sami Khedira making way for them.

Barcelona's form has dipped in the past week, only managing to draw away to Osasuna and Milan during the week. As a result, they have allowed Real Madrid to close the gap between them at the top to just three points.
Though Ancelotti's Real Madrid side are yet to fully convince everyone, they will travel to the Camp Nou in confident mood after defeating Juventus in the Champions League. They will also be buoyed by their recent record away to Barcelona of two wins, two draws and just one defeat in five games. They have also managed to score at least two goals in each of their last six visits.
This will be the first Clasico for Barcelona's new star Neymar and he will keen to make an impression. The same can be said of Real Madrid's mega-money signing, Gareth Bale. Meanwhile, this will be the first meeting between new bosses Ancelotti and Martino.
Playing at home, Barcelona will start as slight favorites though the visitors will know that a loss could be a massive blow to their title hopes. Consequently, as ever when it comes to these games, it should be a highly intense and intriguing affair.