Sergio Busquets will be looking to equal Francisco Gento's winning record in El Clasico fixtures when Barcelona face Real Madrid in Spain's top flight on Sunday afternoon.
Gento, who played for Real Madrid between 1953 and 1971, currently holds the record for wins in matches between the two teams, with the Spaniard triumphing in 21 of his 42 matches.
Busquets, meanwhile, has 20 victories in 43 games, and the Barcelona midfielder would equal the current record if he plays in an away success this weekend.
The 34-year-old has again been a key player for the Catalan outfit during the 2022-23 campaign, making nine appearances in all competitions, including six in La Liga.
The midfielder's contract at Camp Nou is due to expire next June, though, and he is widely expected to leave Xavi's side on a free transfer, potentially to move to the MLS.
Busquets has been in the first team at Barcelona since 2008, representing the club on 689 occasions in all competitions, winning eight La Liga titles in the process.
The midfielder has also won the Champions League on three occasions and the Copa del Rey seven times.
Barcelona will enter Sunday's contest off the back of a 3-3 draw with Inter Milan, which has left them in a difficult position when it comes to reaching the knockout round of the competition.
Xavi's side have been excellent in La Liga this term, though, winning each of their last seven matches, and they have collected 22 points from eight matches to sit at the top of the table, above Real Madrid on goal difference.
Jules Kounde is set to make a timely return from injury at Bernabeu, but Andreas Christensen, Hector Bellerin, Memphis Depay and Ronald Araujo remain on the sidelines through injury.
Barcelona recorded a 4-0 victory over Real Madrid in the corresponding match at Bernabeu last season, but they have lost four of their last five league games with their bitter rivals.
"Last season we reached El Clasico in a bad shape. Today, we reach El Clasico and we are the top of the league," Xavi told reporters on Saturday afternoon.
"El Clasico is three points. It's also an important match to get a morale boost. Our goal is to win the Clasico and to play the way we believe in. Pressure, attack with intensity."
Meanwhile, when asked about Busquets, Xavi said: "He's an important player for us. The last game, he had problems in the second half, but he is the captain, and he is a Barcelona player. Every player on the team has to be ready to play."
Barcelona have another five matches before the end of the month, also taking on Villarreal, Athletic Bilbao, Bayern Munich and Valencia. body check tags ::
