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Barcelona vs. Valencia: 5 mins
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La Liga
May 6, 2018 at 7.45pm UK
 
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2-2

Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')

Combined XI: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

:Headline: Combined XI: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: ID:325068: from db_amp
Ahead of the final El Clasico showdown of the season, Sports Mole selects the strongest combined XI using players from both sides of the divide.

After wrapping up the title with four matches to spare last weekend, the pressure is off Barcelona as they welcome Real Madrid to Camp Nou on Sunday evening.

Barca still have yet to taste defeat in a near-perfect domestic campaign and are now on the brink of going the entire season unbeaten, which has never been achieved by a Spanish side in a 38-game term.

Madrid will be desperate to prevent their arch-rivals from making history, of course, and they are in need of points to claw back Atletico Madrid in second place.

Here, Sports Mole selects a combined XI from those expected to be available for the final El Clasico showdown of the season.


Zinedine Zidane has constantly played down talk of a new goalkeeper being needed, but if rumours are to be believed then Keylor Navas could well be replaced come the end of the campaign. The Costa Rica international has the ability to produce big saves and make howlers in equal measure, whereas Marc-Andre ter Stegen has so often come to the rescue of his at-times-shaky backline and therefore gets the nod.

Right-back has proved to be particularly troublesome for Los Blancos of late, having lost Dani Carvajal and Nacho to injury, leading to Lucas Vazquez - an attacking right-sided player by trade - slotting into the backline against Bayern Munich in the week. Barcelona have alternated between Sergio Roberto and Nelson Semedo, meanwhile, and it is the former who boasts the better figures this term with six assists and one goal in the top flight. On the left the decision is a little easier, as Jordi Alba continues to impress in his sixth season in Catalonia.

Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos have become synonymous with the modern-day El Clasico tussles and are real warriors for their respective sides. Samuel Umtiti and Raphael Varane both have their strengths, but Pique and Ramos remain two of the first names on the teamsheet.

This side is certainly not lacking in creativity, as Luka Modric and Andres Iniesta are both included. Modric has established himself as one of the finest distributors of the ball anywhere on the continent, albeit dropping slightly in quality in comparison to last season, and Iniesta - competing in his final El Clasico match fitness permitting - will go down in history as arguably the most influential Barca player of all time, which is saying something.

The likes of Ivan Rakitic, Philippe Coutinho and Toni Kroos also have their own strengths, but a little balance is needed in the middle and for that you can look no further than Sergio Busquets. The Spain international is still arguably the best in the world at what he does, playing a part in 27 of Barca's 34 league games this term and earning himself a 27th major honour.

As ever, talk regarding Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will dominate the build-up to this latest blockbuster encounter, with both men once again scoring goals aplenty this term. The inclusion of Marco Asensio alongside them would provide some balance, yet the stats that Luis Suarez boasts this term - 23 goals and nine assists in the league - means that he quite simply has to lead the line.

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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Real Madrid33266171224984
2GironaGirona33225669402971
3Barcelona32217464372770
4Atletico MadridAtletico33204962392364
5Athletic Bilbao331610753332058
6Real Sociedad331312846351151
7Real BetisBetis33121384139249
8Valencia32138113534147
9Villarreal33129125455-145
10Getafe331013104145-443
11Osasuna33116163749-1239
12Sevilla33911134246-438
13AlavesAlaves33108153138-738
14Las PalmasLas Palmas33107163041-1137
15Rayo Vallecano33713132742-1534
16Mallorca33614132739-1232
17Celta Vigo33710163750-1331
18CadizCadiz33414152346-2326
19Granada3349203661-2521
RAlmeria33111213267-3514
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