Despite rumors that he would be fit to play in El Clásico, Sergio Busquets sits out for Barcelona on Sunday. His club have judged that he’s not fit enough to start against Real Madrid, and Javier Mascherano will continue to deputize at defensive midfield. With Mascherano moving up the pitch, Jeremy Mathieu continues in defense, even though some Blaugranes are crying out for Marc Bartra.
El Clásico 2015 lineups: Busquets out for Barcelona vs. Real Madrid as expected
Barcelona’s star pivot man has not recovered in time to play. Real Madrid have sprung no surprises, but their formation is anyone’s guess.
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Real Madrid’s lineup is exactly as expected. Pepe and Sergio Ramos start in defense, with Raphael Varane taking a seat. Carlo Ancelotti has also opted to play all of his stars in midfield, as opposed to benching one in favor of a defensive midfielder. Luka Modrić has gotten fit enough to start as expected, and should be available to go 90 minutes.
The big question is how Real Madrid will line up. They have used this personnel to line up in both a 4-3-3 and a 4-4-2. In the previous Clásico, they played Ronaldo up top and defended in two banks of four. They didn’t have Gareth Bale for that game, but he’s a better defensive winger than James Rodriguez.
Barcelona (4-3-3): Claudio Bravo; Jordi Alba, Jeremy Mathieu, Gerard Pique, Dani Alves; Javier Mascherano, Ivan Rakitic, Andres Iniesta; Neymar, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez
Real Madrid (4-4-2): Iker Casillas; Marcelo, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Dani Carvajal; Isco, Toni Kroos, Luka Modrić, Gareth Bale; Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema
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