Friday 22 December 2017 15:54, UK
Which Real Madrid and Barcelona players would make it into your best XI?
The two giants of Spanish football go head to head at the Bernabeu on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Mix from 11.30am.
Table-topping visitors Barcelona have the upper hand in La Liga, with an 11-point lead over Real Madrid. However, fourth-placed Real have a game in hand and will be on a high after their Club World Cup win last weekend.
Here, Sky Sports' Spanish football expert Terry Gibson picks and explains his choices, which heavily favour Barcelona, and you can pick your own side at the bottom of the page...
"This was harder than it has been before. There's a lack of players who have really stood out this season, and I've been quite self-indulgent in picking players I'd like to see play together, rather than picking them on their performances.
"I've gone fantasy football, self-indulgent, six or seven of my players pick themselves because of their true form, but a number of positions in this team were up for debate."
"It's easy. Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Probably the easiest choice in the team. Barcelona have only conceded seven, and he's proving himself now to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
"He's very similar to Manuel Neuer in terms of style, and he makes saves that look really easy because of his movement and positioning, and his foot movement across the line, where most goalkeepers dive at full length.
"He makes saves look comfortable. As opposed to Keylor Navas, who has missed a lot of this season and hasn't been in particularly great form."
"Dani Carvajal goes at right-back. Normally it is very hard to pick a Clasico XI, usually because you could fit around 20 players in it, but it's not like that this time. Barcelona haven't really had a regular right-back; Sergi Roberto, Nelson Semedo and Aleix Vidal have all played there. I can't think of many better right-backs in world football than Carvajal. He's good going forward, good defensively.
"Alongside him, continuing with the fact that Barcelona have the joint-best defensive record in La Liga, I'm going to go with three Barcelona defenders. This time, no Sergio Ramos, as punishment for two red cards this season, so it's Gerard Pique, who doesn't need any explanation, and maybe the big surprise, the success of Samuel Umtiti.
"He fits really well with Pique, has a bit more pace than him, is left-footed and gives better balance as opposed to playing with two right-sided central defenders. He has become a really important player.
"He's perfect for that role for Barcelona, because if you note how the full-backs play, one of the ways to get at Barcelona is releasing the ball quickly to one or two quick strikers, and in the past few seasons that has been strikers up against Pique and Mascherano. Umtiti is very, very quick, and has the pace to deal with attacking players.
"Ramos is a big favourite of mine - I know he's got his faults - but having only conceded seven goals, you can't leave Ter Stegen, Pique and Umtiti out. Their defence is now something they are taking pride on.
"Jordi Alba is playing better this season, defensively and attacking, as opposed to Marcelo, who hasn't been at his best. That was quite a straightforward choice at left-back."
"I've talked about the strength of Barcelona in midfield, and Sergio Busquets is really important to that, particularly with his positional play. I've noticed this season under Valverde he sometimes drops into central defence and makes a three.
"But again, he has been rock solid, and personally I think he is the best holding midfielder in the world, and has been for a while now, not just defensively but also because of his bravery to receive the ball in dangerous positions. That's all the things you were taught not to do as a kid; don't play around with it in dangerous positions! He's having a really good season.
"My next cert is Lionel Messi. He's scored 14 goals this season, and he's also hit the woodwork 14 times. He is the one outstanding striker in the two teams this season. It might seem weird that I've jumped from Busquets to Messi, but that's because he's my last dead cert.
"After that it gets tricky. Striker-wise, we're looking at Ronaldo, Suarez, Benzema, Gareth Bale too, and it's hard to make a case for any of them. I'm going to be slightly self-indulgent and play fantasy football, going with the line-up that would never happen; Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez. Suarez in the middle, Messi in his old spot on the right, Ronaldo on the left.
"The central midfield position is similar as well. Toni Kroos hasn't been at his best, I've gone with Busquets over Casemiro, and while you can make a case for Paulinho and Ivan Rakitic, neither have been spectacular. It's hard again to make a case.
"Again, I'm going to be slightly self-indulgent, and go with a player who has gone under the radar this season, he's being treated with kid gloves by Barcelona, but we saw against Deportivo his importance to the team, and just how good a player he is.
"Honestly, I can't imagine a better technical player, and that's including all players of the years, so I'm going with Andres Iniesta. He's 33, time is running out, we should enjoy him while we can. They need him fit for big games, because he will start them, and they'll treat him carefully throughout the season.
"Another one of my favourite players, probably the pick of the Real Madrid players this year, is Luka Modric. Granted, compared to last season he hasn't been at that level, and has suffered a bit with Real Madrid chopping and changing the midfield, the position of Ronaldo, and their indifferent form. Kroos would have been the closest option, and maybe Isco."
It should be a fantastic contest, with star players aplenty on each side - but which names would make it into your combined XI of the teams?
Use our interactive team selector to select your ultimate Clasico line-up and then share it with your friends using social media...
