Barcelona and Real Madrid will both have the feeling that victories against Real Valladolid and Celta Vigo will be a necessity for El Clasico next week this weekend. Carlo Ancelotti has stated that they are aware that they have to beat Barcelona to have the chance to lift the Liga title, and that is why it creates a dilemma for Hansi Flick and the Italian about players who are at risk.
After a new exhausting collision against Inter in Midweek, Barcelona is expected to call the changes against Real Valladolid on Saturday night, while last week they are confronted with a side that decorated last week. Jules Kounde will miss the collision against Valladolid due to injury, and probably also the Clasico at Montjuic, but Flick will have to consider what to do with Raphinha, Gavi and Inigo Martinez, who, as MD, are all one card away from a suspension.
Raphinha and Martinez may be planned for rotation in the circumstances, and that certainly makes the decision easier for the German coach. When it comes to Gavi, it would have come from the bank in the Copa del Rey -final and only played against Inter for the last 10 minutes, it would have been almost certain, but Flick will also want to make him available for the Clasico.
In the meantime, Ancelotti also has three players who run the cord: Lucas Vazquez, Aurelien Tchouameni and Dani Ceballos. All three will be candidates to start against Barcelona, ​​and did this last weekend in the Copa del Rey final, which left Ancelotti with difficult decisions. He can use Fede Valverde on right back to cover Vazquez, and Luka Modric could play instead of Ceballos, but Tchouameni looks much more difficult to leave.
After David Alaba, Ferland Mendy and Antonio Rudiger all underwent surgery this week, Tchouameni would have been in pole position to be Raul Asencio in the defense. As it is, Ancelotti will have to risk the Frenchman, or turn to an Academy Defender or Jesus Vallejo on Sunday.