Real Madrid meet Barcelona in the first El Clasico of the season. Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo, and a surprise start for former Premier League star Luis Suarez…
The highly anticipated first El Clasico of the season is finally here, and the teams have revealed their official lineups.
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Here is our starting XI exclusively on Twitter! #RealMadridvsFCB #RMLive pic.twitter.com/0uu1VPtEw1
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) October 25, 2014
Real Madrid have lined up as expected. With no Gareth Bale it’s a four man midfield with Isco coming in, while Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema should play together up front.
Barça line up: 13. Bravo 3. Piqué 5. Sergio 6. Xavi 8. Iniesta 9. Luis Suárez 10. Messi 11. Neymar 14. Mascherano 22. Alves 24. Mathieu — FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 25, 2014
The big shock is that Luis Suarez starts for Barcelona despite being out of competitive football for four months. Jordi Alba and Ivan Rakitic are on the bench, with both originally expected to start.
The Barça bench: 1. Ter Stegen 4. I.Rakitic 7. Pedro 15. Bartra 18. Jordi Alba 20. Sergi Roberto 31. Munir #classicFCB
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 25, 2014