El Clasico: Barca v Real preview

Luis Enrique hopes the return of Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta can help his team get the better of Real Madrid in the first Clasico of the season.

Iniesta has been sidelined by a knee injury for five weeks but is back ahead of schedule for the clash at the Nou Camp.

“The biggest news is that we’re getting Iniesta back, which has extra importance since he’s our captain,” Enrique told his pre-match press conference. “If there’s one player who helps most with our style, it’s him.”

Enrique is likely to need his big names to be on song as Barca attempt to close the six-point gap to Real at the top of the table.

Success in recent El Clasicos has been evenly shared but Barca have dominated La Liga, winning the title in six of the last eight seasons.

But Real striker Karim Benzema thinks that league positions will have no bearing on the game at the Nou Camp..

“It will be a very tough game against a great team so we know that we have, as always, a huge match ahead of us,” the Frenchman said on realmadrid.com.

“There will be a lot of pressure, everyone is braced for that. For that reason, going into the game there as league leaders does not make a difference.”

Team news

As well as having Iniesta back, Enrique can call upon defenders Jordi Alba and Gerard Pique, who are both fit after picking up knocks last weekend.

For Real, Gareth Bale is missing as he continues his recovery from ankle surgery, which could keep him out for up to four …

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