Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui has been under pressure after a poor run of form which has seen the side slip to seventh in La Liga, but the players have been at pains to defend their boss with their statements to the media.
It’s now up to those players to back their words up as they take on Barcelona’s league-leading squad, who themselves will have to step up in the absence of talisman Lionel Messi, who is out injured.
Here’s a look at how the key players match up.
Philippe Coutinho vs Gareth Bale
Philippe Coutinho is starting to show the full range of his talents for Barcelona this season, after taking some time to settle in after his January move last campaign.
The Brazilian has four goals and three assists this season, and he’s arguably elevated himself to the team’s best attacking player behind Messi.
Coutinho has unfinished business with this fixture. He set up Luis Suarez brilliantly for the opening goal against Madrid in May, but was taken off at half-time after Sergi Roberto’s red card forced Barcelona to shore up their defence.
He’ll want to make a mark on Sunday.
Coutinho might be the second-best attacker in his side, but Gareth Bale has gone one further and looked like his side’s best player – when he’s been fit.
The Welshman has stepped into the limelight in the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure, and with Isco out due to appendicitis surgery and Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema hit-and-miss, Bale has been Madrid’s most consistent player up front.
He’s missed a couple of games through injury, a common occurrence during his Madrid career, but on Sunday he’ll be looking to repeat his last performance against Barcelona, when he scored a stunning goal.
Coutinho vs Bale.
Arthur vs Luka Modric
Arthur has shown why Barcelona made him such a priority signing heading into the summer. The former Gremio man has justified the “next Xavi” tag so far in his fledgling career at the Camp Nou, settling into Barca’s midfield alongside Ivan Rakitic and Sergio Busquets – and keeping fellow summer signing Arturo Vidal out of the XI.
At 22, Arthur has a long way to go, but with his calm, metronomic, and incisive passing, allied with his vision, he’s already a crucial part of Barcelona’s side.
Madrid will be prepared for the other luminaries in that midfield, but the young Brazilian is just as dangerous.
Of course, while Madrid may have to worry about Barcelona’s midfield, in their ranks they have the reigning UEFA and FIFA World Player of the Year.
Luka Modric hasn’t quite hit the form from last season and the World Cup that won him those awards, but he remains a player who can control a game and turn it on its head in an instant.
The presumptive Ballon d’Or favourite will looking to make a return to form and stamp his mark on club football’s biggest game.
Arthur vs Modric.
Jordi Alba vs Marcelo
Jordi Alba has consistently been one of Barcelona’s most lethal attacking threats over the last couple of seasons, adding another dimension to an already star-studded side.
He comes into this game on a high having scored the clinching goal in Barcelona’s midweek win over Inter Milan. That goal will have been all the more pleasing because it came despite the absence of Messi, with whom the left-back has a telepathic connection.
The Spaniard’s defensive abilities will be put to the test on Sunday as well, but Alba’s feisty streak makes him as effective on that side of the pitch as he is going forward.
That hasn’t always been said of his counterpart, Marcelo, who often relies on his attacking brilliance to cover up his defensive liabilities. However, the Brazilian also serves as a spiritual leader of this Madrid side, and he’ll be desperate to perform at his best on Sunday.
Marcelo usually puts in his best displays in big games, and for Madrid they don’t come much bigger than playing Barcelona. The veteran full-back has declared himself fit after struggling with an injury recently – expect him to put in a blockbuster performance.
Alba vs Marcelo.
