There is no quicker way to become a superstar than to make an impact for either Real Madrid or Barcelona in football’s biggest rivalry match.
That’s what these three players will be looking to do this Sunday, aiming to continue their positive starts to the season into the biggest game of all.
Arda Guler (Real Madrid)
Under Xabi Alonso, Arda Guler has finally been given consistent playing time, and he’s making the most of it.
The Turkish international has featured in all nine of Real Madrid’s LaLiga games so far this season, and he has three goals and four assists to his name, the most recent of those assists coming for Kylian Mbappe in Los Blancos’ 1-0 victory over Getafe last weekend.
Guler also boasts a total of 23 key passes so far this league campaign, with no other player in the competition having more.
Still only 20 years of age, Guler is already considered to be one of the most promising players in world football, and he knows that another strong performance in El Clasico would take his popularity to the next level.
He has only played twice against Barcelona in his career, a 45-minute and a 65-minute outing, so he’ll hope to be given more time to shine in front of the Bernabeu crowd.
Fermin Lopez (Barcelona)
The first game when Fermin Lopez burst onto the scene was actually against Real Madrid. It was a pre-season friendly in the summer of 2023, when he scored one brilliant goal and assisted another in a 3-0 Barca victory during their summer tour of the United States.
That helped earn the La Masia academy graduate a place in the first-team squad, and he has gone from strength to strength since then.
The 22-year-old has a good chance of starting this Sunday’s game at the Bernabeu, having overcome an injury which kept him out for three weeks.
Just before that injury, he turned in a simply sublime performance against Valencia, in which he scored two goals, and Barca supporters know by now that he can turn the magic on at any moment.
The most he played in any of the four El Clasico match-ups last season - all of which Barcelona won - was 55 minutes, and he’d love to earn more minutes than that this weekend, to show exactly what he can do.
Franco Mastantuono (Real Madrid)
Before Real Madrid signed him during the summer transfer window, Franco Mastantuono had also been linked with a move to Barcelona. As such, his first El Clasico has an extra layer of intrigue.
The 18-year-old Argentinian will now take on the club where his idol Lionel Messi achieved so much, and he’ll be desperate to prove himself in this blockbuster game.
Even if Mastantuono doesn’t start this Sunday’s match, he’ll be one to watch if he comes off the bench. Substitutes have decided El Clasico in the past and have become immediate heroes for their clubs.
There would be no quicker way to make this season a success for the teenager than to score at the Bernabeu this Sunday.
