Real Madrid vs Barcelona LIVE: Team news, line ups confirmed, Lionel Messi starts Clasico

REAL MADRID vs BARCELONA

Sunday’s ‘Clasico’ between Real Madrid and Barcelona may have huge ramifications on La Liga’s title race but poor showings in the Champions League mean the fixture is lacking its usual billing as a battle between the two best teams in the world.

Real Madrid lost 2-1 at home to Manchester City in their last-16 first leg while Barcelona drew 1-1 at Napoli, a result which masked a shaky performance and seemed to confirm Lionel Messi’s fears that they are not good enough to win the trophy.

Champions Barca take a two-point lead into the clash at the Santiago Bernabeu after cashing in on a wobble from Zinedine Zidane’s side, who drew 2-2 with Celta Vigo and lost to Levante in their last two league fixtures.

• Barcelona have won more La Liga games against Real Madrid than any other side

• Real have not won any of their last seven La Liga games against Barcelona

• Karim Benzema has gone seven games without scoring against Barcelona

• Quique Setien has won just two of his eight managerial La Liga games against Real

Real Madrid XI: Courtois, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Valverde, Casemiro, Kroos, Isco Benzema, Vinicius.

Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen, N. Semedo, Pique, Sergio, Arthur, Messi, Griezmann, Jordi Alba, F. De Jong, Vidal, Umtiti.

Exit talk

This is the second moment of reckoning for Zinedine Zidane this season after a heavy defeat by PSG in September and a loss to Mallorca in October left him fighting for his job.

The team responded by tightening up their defence and going on an unbeaten run of 21 matches, although Zidane warned last month that it would only take a couple of bad results for him to be back in the firing line.

“I said if we lost two games I would get criticised and that is what is happening. All I can do is keep fighting with my players,” he added. “My players are the best around and we’re going to try and turn things around. It’s a delicate situation but we’re going to try and win something.”

Surely it would be madness to get rid of the Frenchman at this stage of the season – but I wouldn’t put it past Florentino Perez and the gang…

Bit weird, innit

Strange to have an El Clasico missing so many big players.

We have no Eden Hazard, Marco Asensio, Luis Suarez, Rodrygo or Ousmane Dembele on the field tonight. Looks like it’s all down to substitute Martin Braithwaite to provide the X-Factor, right?

Key battles – Ramos vs Messi

Well how could it NOT be?! The veterans of dozens of Clasicos will do battle once again.

Messi has scored 26 goals in 40 appearances against Real and has netted three times in his last three league trips to the Bernabeu.

Defender Ramos has four goals and three red cards in his 45 El Clasico appearances.

He was dismissed against City in midweek and will need to remain disciplined if Real are going to stop Messi and Co on Sunday.

Mind games?

Barcelona coach Quique Setien believes Real Madrid are under greater pressure than his side heading into tonight’s “Clasico”, which could go a long way to determining who wins the Spanish title.

Barca have lifted eight of the last 11 La Liga crowns and go into Sunday’s game at the Santiago Bernabeu with a two-point lead over Real, who are smarting from consecutive defeats by Levante and Manchester City.

“For Real Madrid this game is vital and much more important than it is for us. It is a key and decisive game for them, it’s also important for us but perhaps not as important,” Setien said.

“It could be a very important day, a victory would give us a lead of five points but in these games the past is quickly forgotten about. I expect a very close game, we’ll see who deserves to win it more.”