The big dilemma for El Clásico: what starting XI will Arbeloa field against Barça?

And on top of all this, Real Madrid face Barcelona in El Clásico this Sunday (3pm ET) at Camp Nou. A match with little real importance, but one that still carries major symbolic weight: if Madrid fail to win, Barcelona will be crowned league champions and celebrate in front of their eternal rivals. That alone is enough motivation for Madrid to approach the game with full seriousness, even if many players already have one eye on the World Cup. But after what happened between Tchouaméni and Valverde, Arbeloa now finds himself in a difficult position when it comes to putting together a reliable starting XI for El Clásico.

Valverde is recovering at home after suffering a head injury and has been ruled out. Tchouaméni, meanwhile, trained normally yesterday. The disciplinary proceedings opened on Thursday made it seem unlikely he would feature in El Clásico, but the case was closed yesterday with both players receiving hefty fines. Technically, the Frenchman is available to play. However, after what happened, it seems unlikely that Arbeloa will include him in the starting lineup. It cannot be completely ruled out, but it is not the expected outcome.

And those issues are only part of the problem. There is also Ceballos, who does not face disciplinary proceedings but challenged Arbeloa, leading the coach to decide not to call him up again for the remainder of the season. Then there are the injuries: Militão, Carvajal, Rodrygo, Güler and Mendy all have no chance of making El Clásico. Mbappé passed a fitness test on Thursday and completed part of the training session with the group. He could still be included in the squad, although he has very little chance of starting.

All of this leaves Arbeloa with very few options. Courtois returning from injury is the only real piece of positive news. In defence, he will likely have to start with Trent, Rüdiger, Huijsen (or Asencio, although the academy player reportedly had a conflict with Arbeloa and was left out of the squad for several matches) and Fran García. Carreras is also seeing limited playing time, and there are reports that the coaching staff are unhappy with his attitude.

The biggest problems are in midfield, where Arbeloa has almost no alternatives and may have to rely on Bellingham, Camavinga and Castilla player Thiago Pitarch. In attack, assuming Mbappé is not fit enough to start, the front three would likely be Brahim, Gonzalo and Vinicius.

The bench would then have to be filled out with several youth-team players, which creates another problem altogether. Castilla are fighting for a place in the promotion playoffs to the Segunda División, Madrid C will face Estepona in the Segunda Federación relegation playoffs, and Juvenil A have the first leg of their Champions Cup quarter-final this weekend. Calling up players from those three squads to the first team would inevitably weaken La Fábrica’s chances of achieving its objectives across all levels.

Related stories

Premier League

Slot gives injury updates on Isak and Salah: “he trains with us again”

MLS

Messi hasn't forgotten his rivalry with Cristiano

Get closer to the game! Whether you like your soccer of the European variety or that on this side of the pond, our AS USA app has it all. Dive into live coverage, expert insights, breaking news, exclusive videos, and more. Plus, stay updated on NFL, NBA and all other big sports stories as well as the latest in current affairs and entertainment. Download now for all-access coverage, right at your fingertips – anytime, anywhere.

And there’s more: check out our TikTok and Instagram reels for bite-sized visual takes on all the biggest soccer news and insights.