Players to watch in Saturday’s anticipated El Clasico matchup

Will Luis Enrique start Iniesta?

Andres Iniesta returned to full training last week after recovering quicker than the team had expected. Manager Luis Enrique had said the Spain midfielder will play in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey match against Hercules, but Iniesta will be serving a suspension.

“He’s training with us and he’s in great condition,” Enrique said in his press conference on Tuesday. “He can’t play [against Hercules] because he’s suspended, but he would have had minutes otherwise. He’s available [for Madrid].”

Although it’s too early to panic, Real Madrid are six points clear of Barca heading into El Clasico. Real Sociedad outplayed the defending league champions on Sunday holding them to 48% of ball possession, which is the second lowest in Enrique’s time at Camp Nou.

The most destructive attack in the world (Messi, Suarez and Neymar) keeps Barca afloat offensively, but it’s Iniesta’s brilliant mind that makes the difference. Barcelona’s latest struggle may quite possibly be because of the absence of their skipper, as they’ve lost all three games without him. Though it doesn’t show on the stat sheets, Iniesta links numerous Barcelona’s attacking plays.

With Iniesta at Enrique’s disposal, you can expect him to start the Spaniard because of Andre Gomes’s poor form. The former Valencia man signed a £41 million deal this summer and has failed to score or assist a goal.