Real Madrid vs. Barcelona: El Clasico Preview

It's the biggest league match in Europe. Period.

The history, the inevitable fireworks, the stakes - all of them make this match one of the most entertaining in the world. When you throw in the sheer talent on display, it elevates to another level. That's what we expect from El Clasico.

The continent's greatest rivals renew hostilities for the 228th time on Saturday, as Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid welcome Lionel Messi and Barcelona to the Santiago Bernabeu.

The two stars garner much of the attention, and rightfully so with 22 goals already between them this season, but the respective supporting casts are equally exciting. Everywhere you look, an icon.

The arms race continued this summer. Ivan Rakitic one way, Toni Kroos the other. Jeremy Mathieu to Catalunya, Javier Hernandez to the capital. And of course, the two marquee men. World Cup star James Rodriguez cashed in on his stellar display with Colombia, while Luis Suarez finally got the move away from Liverpool that, frankly, he always wanted.

This is going to be fun.

The Details

Teams: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona

Time: 12:00 PM EST

Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

Television: beIN Sports

Injury Report

For all of the star power listed above, today's contest will be lacking its most expensive player. Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale will miss the contest with a muscle injury, which also kept him out of the team's midweek destruction of Liverpool. On no other team in the world could his absence be somewhat of an afterthought, considering the quality of the replacements.

In defense, Sergio Ramos has missed the four consecutive matches for both club and country with a calf injury, but is expected to return to the starting lineup - likely at the expense of Pepe.

The Catalan club, meanwhile, may be without vital midfield anchor Sergio Busquets due to a hip injury. Even if the 26-year-old does feature, something he didn't do in midweek against Ajax, he may be reserved to a bench role.

Historic Head-to-Head

Note: The Copa de la Liga, created in 1982, is now defunct.

Here's a sample of what this fixture is capable of providing, from March of 2007:

If we get anything like that today at the Bernabeu ...

3 Things To Watch

Can Real Madrid's midfield do the job defensively?

That's been the question around the squad since the beginning of the season.

Without linchpin Xabi Alonso and tireless runner Angel Di Maria - and with Sami Khedira relegated to the bench due to constant injury problems - will the trio of Kroos, Luka Modric and James Rodriguez be able to provide sufficient cover for the back-four? Simply outscoring the opposition is great, but Barcelona is not Levante. They will provide resistance, and have the horses up front to run with Madrid every step of the way.

Rodriguez has shown that he is more than willing to put in the running required of Carlo Ancelotti's attacking formation, but if the duo of Modric and Kroos get caught up the pitch for whatever reason, the likes of Messi and Neymar will make them pay.

The aforementioned personnel changes have forced the hand of Ancelotti, who has been required to implement a more fluid formation this season in order to hide the defensive inefficiencies of his team.

"[The] 4-4-2 is the best defensive system that exists," the Italian manager said last month. "[The] 4-3-3 doesn't give the balance required, and it's more difficult to pressure higher upfield. Our intention is to defend with a 4-4-2 and attack with a 4-3-3, with two wide players."

Simply put, that transition has to be seamless today.

Messi on the verge of history

Two goals. That's all the Argentine legend needs to surpass former Athletic Bilbao great Telmo Zarra for the all-time La Liga scoring record (251 goals).

Is there a better place to accomplish the feat than at the home of Barcelona's most bitter rival, with his greatest adversary watching directly on? (Hint: No).

The last time these two teams met in league play - in March of this year - Messi scored a hat-trick in a heart-pounding 4-3 win. Even if the diminutive No. 10 has adopted more a playmaking role this season, there's no reason he can't replicate that scoring performance today.

History beckons.

The Impact of Luis Suarez

Will he start?

It seems highly unlikely, though manager Luis Enrique confirmed earlier in the week that the Uruguyan striker will see the pitch at some point during the match, now that his four-month ban for that infamous bite has expired.

"[Suarez] will have some minutes for sure, how many I cannot say," Enrique said during his pre-match news conference on Friday. "It is a big thing for him, to join up finally with the team, and get some minutes."

How fit is he? How quickly will he fit into the system? The questions are endless.

But for all of the concerns - be it his sharpness or even his temper - the most pressing question is this: is there any reason to think he won't have a massive part to play in this contest, in one way or another.

The 80-million euro man certainly has a habit of being at the heart of the action, both good and bad. The script is set up perfectly for him to make headlines once again.

Projected Lineups

Real Madrid (4-4-2)

Casillas; Marcelo, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Carvajal; Isco, Kroos, Modric, James Rodriguez; Ronaldo, Benzema

Barcelona (4-3-3)

Bravo; Alba, Mathieu, Pique, Dani Alves; Mascherano, Rakitic, Iniesta; Neymar, Messi, Pedro

Prediction

Barcelona are yet to concede in eight league matches this season, a remarkable feat. But Real Madrid, powered by their Portuguese scoring machine, are a completely different animal.

The Blaugrana have looked uncomfortable in defense just once this season, in the 3-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain. Ancelotti's men represent a massive step up in attacking quality from anything Barcelona has seen this season, which is somewhat of a concern. That said, if we're expressing worry over a team that hasn't conceded a league goal this season, what do we think of a team that allowed four against Real Sociedad?

That is all a long-winded way of saying that there should be a plethora of scoring opportunities. With the quality of the finishers on display, expect a good number of those to be converted.

Final: Real Madrid 3, Barcelona 3