Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Five tactical duels that could shape El Clasico

Real Madrid host rivals Barcelona in La Liga at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday afternoon.

Below are five key battles to watch out for in the fixture.

Cubarsi is Barcelona’s best centre-back, thanks to his brilliant reading of the game and composure on the ball, but he could be exposed with Mbappe’s explosive pace.

The Frenchman is La Liga’s form player, scoring 10 goals and registering two assists in nine league games.

Yamal has struggled with his fitness since the start of the season, yet has impressed, averaging at least a goal contribution per game.

Carreras has a had a blistering start to life at Madrid, and it will be interesting to see how he fares against the Spaniard.

After a slow start to the campaign, Vinicius now appears to have rediscovered his best form, chipping in with six goal involvements in his last five league games.

Kounde is an astute one-on-one defender but has not been brilliant of late. Yet, his match-up with Vinicius is one to look forward to in this fixture.

Rashford scored a brace in the 6-1 thrashing of Olympiacos on Tuesday. Rashford is likely to spearhead Barcelona’s attack with striker Robert Lewandowski doubtful for the clash.

With his elite one-on-one defending and athleticism, Militao would be tasked of nullifying Rashford’s threat.

Pedri has been one the best midfielders in La Liga since the start of the season. He is an all-round midfielder whose press resistance and composure help Barcelona control games.

Tchouameni’s positioning and ball-winning ability will be crucial to stopping the Spain international’s influence.