It is the primary Clasico of the season on Sunday. Properly, kind of.

Actual Madrid and Barcelona butt heads within the early hours of the morning over in the USA, though the upcoming assembly is nothing greater than a pre-season pleasant. How pleasant a match between these two fierce foes can ever be is debatable.

There’s unlikely to be fairly the identical needle as a aggressive fixture, particularly given each side are with no host of acquainted faces. For Actual Madrid, that features famous person Jude Bellingham and new recruit Kylian Mbappe.

However why are the duo not taking part in in opposition to Barcelona this weekend?

Merely put, Mbappe and Bellingham are unavailable as a result of their involvement at Euro 2024 this summer season.

The previous Paris Saint-Germain ahead continues to be recovering from a journey to the semi-final of the match with France and is but to satisfy up along with his new Madrid teammates. Mbappe will miss everything of the USA tour and it is anticipated that his first outing in a white jersey will come within the UEFA Tremendous Cup in opposition to Atalanta on 14 August in Warsaw, Poland.

Equally, Bellingham can also be recovering from a strenuous summer season. The midfielder helped England attain the ultimate of Euro 2024, though he was unable to information them to glory within the showpiece occasion with Spain. He’s more likely to return for the UEFA Tremendous Cup, too.

Madrid might be with no handful of key figures for his or her conflict with Hansi Flick’s facet, together with the French trio of Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Ferland Mendy. All three travelled to Euro 2024 and are nonetheless recovering forward of the brand new season.

Shock Ballon d’Or contender Dani Carvajal can also be absent after successful Euro 2024. The correct-back is having fun with a well-earned relaxation after serving to Los Blancos do the double final season – scoring within the Champions League remaining – and guiding Spain to glory over the summer season. Federico Valverde is on vacation after reaching the Copa America semi-final with Uruguay.

Regardless of having additionally been in worldwide motion this summer season, the Brazilian triumvirate of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Eder Militao have now joined up with Actual Madrid in the USA. Their early Copa America exit means they’re in line to characteristic in opposition to Barcelona.

Younger Castilla stars Alvaro Rodriguez and Cesar Palacios are additionally unavailable after sustaining important accidents in opposition to Milan in Madrid’s most up-to-date outing. They’ve returned to Spain to get better.

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