Real Madrid squad for El Clásico: Mariano in for Luka Jovic

Los Blancos confirm the matchday squad for Sunday's LaLiga game against Barcelona which kicks off at the Santiago Bernabéu at 21:00 CET.

Update: Feb 29th, 2020 10:42 EST

Real Madrid have announced their matchday squad for their huge LaLiga match on Sunday against rivals FC Barcelona.

Zidane's Clásico choice

There is only one major surprise from Zinedine Zidane, with certain players - Eden Hazard and Marco Asensio - unavailable as they look to recover from their respective injuries: the inclusion of striker Mariano. The 26-year-old has been frozen out for the majority of the season, managing just 44 minutes in the Spanish Super Cup, but has been selected in place of Luka Jovic for Sunday's game after recovering from a knock.

Real Madrid youth keeper Toni Fuidias, who has been training with the first team, has also been called up ahead of usual third-choice gloveman Diego Altube.

Ahead of the confirmation of the players chosen, the French coach spoke to the media about his thoughts on the game, one that could go a long way to deciding the destination of the 2019/20 title.