Real Madrid vs Barcelona will take place on Saturday in the latest installment of El Clasico from the Spanish La Liga. Today's game will see a host of the world's best soccer players showcased and could go a long way to determining which team will go on to win the Spanish league this season. The game has a scheduled start time of 12.15 p.m. ET (5.15 p.m. GMT) and can be watched in the UK on Sky Sports 2 or in the U.S. on beIN Sports. The game can also be watched online through live stream via the link below.
Real Madrid have shown flashes of brilliance so far this season, but at the same time they have also shown significant weaknesses - in particular when they collapsed in a bad loss against Sevilla recently.
A second loss today for Real would start alarm bells ringing for some, although it could be argued that such panic would be extremely premature given how comprehensive some of the Real performances have been this season.
Good news for Real manager, Rafael Benitez, is that he has a full squad to choose from for today's game - which is the first time he has had full fitness in his squad since back in August. So the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, James Rodriguez, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale will all be fit and ready to play as Real look to get one over on their arch rivals.
Daniel Carvajal will also be available at right back, and his performance could be a vital one in determining the outcome of today's game as he is likely to have the daunting task of trying to keep Neymar quiet on that side of the pitch.
Barcelona come into today's game on the back of three straight wins, and they have not conceded a goal for four straight games. The Catalan club has defeated Villarreal 3-0, BATE 3-0, Getafe 2-0, and drawn 0-0 with Villanovense in recent weeks.
Benitez has opted for the 4-3-3 formation for much of this season, and he is likely to adopt that tactic again today, placing Ronaldo up front with Bale and Rodriguez flanking him.
For Barcelona, much of the talk has been about whether Lionel Messi will start? Messi has been given the all clear to join Barca's squad for today's game, but some have commented that it would be rushing him back into the starting line up should be be given the nod to make it out onto the pitch from the start in today's game.
More likely is that Messi will be used off the bench for today's game in the second half. He was used in that way to great affect against Atletico Madrid earlier this season, and that could be the best option for Barcelona today.
This massive El Clasico match up between Real Madrid and Barcelona has a scheduled start time of 12.15 p.m. ET (5.15 p.m. GMT) and can be watched online through live stream by clicking here.
