Valverde and Lopetegui both have dilemmas over their line-ups for the Clasico

Lots of doubts

Posted Saturday, October 27, 2018 by Marca.com

With just three days to go until Sunday's El Clasico, both Ernesto Valverde and Julen Lopetegui face several selection dilemmas to figure out before kick-off.

Neither coach is entering the fixture from a position of genuine strength, Valverde has been criticised by his own supporters for a lack of 'Barcelona DNA' in his style of football whilst Julen Lopetegui has presided over the worst Real Madrid attack in the club's history.

Cristiano Ronaldo's absence continues to haunt the halls of the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, yet Mariano Diaz, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale will be entrusted with breaking down a Barcelona defence that is lacking depth with 19-year-old Chumi the only natural option from the bench.

There are obviously names on the team-sheet that simply don't move, Lopetegui has the trusted lieutenants in Sergio Ramos and Marcelo, whilst Valverde can rely upon Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez.

Lionel Messi's absence courtesy of a fractured arm hands the former Athletic Club coach a problem, one which he solved against Internazionale by handing Rafinha a rare start.

Despite the club doing their best to sell him throughout the summer, a move to Real Betis only fell through at the eleventh hour, he excelled in mid-week and is in line to start in the visit of Los Blancos.

Ousmane Dembele was seen as the likely replacement for the Argentine international, however his absence against the Italian giants has cast further doubts on his future in Catalonia.

What is interesting is how quickly Arthur has settled to life in Europe, every appearance he's made for Los Cules has been nothing short of sensational.

It's now almost impossible for the Spanish coach to leave the Brazilian midfielder out against Madrid, especially with supporters roundly criticising the decision to substitute him on Wednesday.

Nelson Semedo and Sergi Roberto are both competent at right-back, but neither have come close to replacing Dani Alves, as such the Barcelona coach could probably flip a coin to decide which one starts.

Clement Lenglet has deputised for his international compatriot, Samuel Umtiti, tremendously and will start next to Pique once more, however the aforementioned lack of an experienced defensive substitute could potentially leave Chumi exposed should he be called upon.

Lopetegui made a rod for his own back early in the season by selecting Keylor Navas over Thibaut Courtois, yet the Belgian is now the undisputed number one in domestic matches.

The biggest doubt in the Madrid camp is whether or not Dani Carvajal will pass a late fitness test, yet Raphael Varane will return after being rested for the midweek trip to Plzen.

Lopetegui plans to use a 4-4-2 formation and has been working towards that end in training since the victory in the Champions League.

Casemiro, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Isco are all expected to start, however Marco Asensio and Dani Ceballos are outside bets to play.