Barcelona and Real Madrid will undergo the 238th El Clasico in the history of the two clubs meeting at the official event since 102 years ago.
El Clásico match which will take place at Camp Nou on Sunday (10/28/2018) will feature several famous players in the world of football. Lionel Messi is still going to be absent due to an arm injury he suffered but there are still many other world stars who will heat up the first edition of the El Clasico 2018-2019 season.
And in the past few years, there have been many players in both teams who have important contributions in this legendary match in the world of football, such as Aleix Vidal, Casemiro, Pepe, and Jeremy Mathieu.
So, who are the players who will steal the spotlight in Sunday's match at this Camp Nou? Here are some candidates.
Mariano Diaz (REAL MADRID)
Real Madrid's young striker, Mariano Diaz, has so far only spent seven minutes in El Clásico throughout his career. At that time, he competed as a substitute and helped his team equalize to get a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou in December 2016.
After spending last season with Lyon, one of the teams in Ligue 1, Mariano is now back in Bernabeu in coach Julen Lopetegui's first team squad. The appearance of Karim Benzema who just scored in the third matchday of the Champions League has the potential to put him aside on the bench. Even so, Mariano can still be a surprise player.
Having scored in El Clasico will be very valuable for Mariano, because he was born in the city of Catalan, Premia de Mar, which is only 30 kilometers from Camp Nou. In addition, he also spent his teenage years at Espanyol, Barça's city rivals.
Arthur Melo (BARCELONA)
Barcelona's new playmaker from Brazil, Arthur Melo, will get a golden opportunity to show his talent to all football fans on Sunday. Slowly, Arthur has been a permanent player of LaLiga under the guidance of the Blaugrana coach, Ernesto Valverde, since he joined Barcelona from the Brazilian club Grêmio last summer. In the past few weeks, he has provided stunning assists in the match against Alavés and made it through a difficult challenge against Valencia at the Mestalla stadium.
Barcelona fans even showed disappointment when Arthur was pulled out of the match against Inter Milan in the Champions League. This could be a testament to Arthur's good performance.
The 22-year-old is also compared to iconic Camp Nou heroes Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez, who both scored decisive goals against Real Madrid when they were still active as footballers. The first LaLiga goal in his debut in El Clasico it will be a big step for this talented young player.
Dani Ceballos (REAL MADRID)
Midfielder Dani Ceballos seems to be debuting this year in the El Clasico match for Real Madrid. His debut will add to the achievements that have been collected by players from Andalusia since the beginning of the 2018-19 season. The 22-year-old has played in his first LaLiga match at 'derby' against Atletico Madrid at the Bernabeu and won his first senior victory for the Spanish National Team.
Although Ceballos has never won any of the four games against Barcelona when he was in his former club, Real Betis, he once scored a spectacular long-range goal and took home a win with a final score of 2-1 for Barcelona B at Estadi Mini stadium in LaLiga 1l2l3 in 2015. If something similar happens again in the upcoming Sunday match at Camp Nou, then Ceballos will return to an amazing achievement, both for himself and for his team.
Nacho Fernandez (REAL MADRID)
Madrid defender Nacho Fernández has played in more than 100 LaLiga matches for Real Madrid, but has only played in three El Clasico matches throughout his career. Apparently, Sunday's match will be his 4th match at El Clasico, because the right-back who was originally placed in the first team, Dani Carvajal, is currently sidelined by injury.
Nacho has shown his ambition and creativity when attacking from a full-back position on several occasions. He has won six goals and four assists during his career at LaLiga, as well as fierce opposition in the Champions League against Paris Saint Germain and also the 2018 World Cup when Spain against Portugal. El Clasico will be an excellent moment for Nacho to score his first goal in El Clasico.
Clement Lenglet (BARCELONA)
Another player who will debut at El Clásico next Sunday is Barcelona's new defender Clement Lenglet, who can adapt quickly at the Camp Nou after he was transferred from Sevilla last summer. The keatletisan in the field and its calm while playing has become a real proof of this player.
Lenglet has experienced the feeling of beating Real Madrid in LaLiga, having played a key role in the 3-2 win for his former club Sevilla last season. However, the 23-year-old player has also experienced some bitter defeats against Los Blancos when he was with Andalusia. This makes Lenglet fully aware of all the challenges he will face when facing Gareth Bale and his team.
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