4) Which formation does Barcelona use without Neymar in the team?
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The biggest talking point about the Clasico is that Neymar will not feature for the Catalan side this Sunday. The Brazilian forward is currently serving a three-match ban for his sarcastic applauding of the referee when he was sent off in the 2-0 loss to Malaga and the appeal against Neymar’s Clasico ban was also rejected by the Royal Spanish Football Federation's Appeals Committee who upheld the ban.
Enrique would have loved to go with the standard 4-3-3 formation they used in the first Clasico of the season that ended in a 1-1 draw. But it is impossible to replace Neymar with the players he currently has at his disposal and make that formation work.
And remember, Arda Turan is highly doubtful to play a part as he recovers from a groin injury. The Turkish midfielder has scored five goals and grabbed three assists in the position and he will be sorely missed.
As a result, Enrique may opt to go with a 4-3-1-2 formation – something similar to the 4-1-2-1-2 formation he employed against Real Sociedad. This will see Sergio Busquets anchor the midfield with Ivan Rakitic and Andre Gomes on either side of him while Lionel Messi plays in the hole behind the strikers.
Paco Alcacer will have to be played in Neymar’s absence and he would partner Luis Suarez up top. This would give Real’s centre-backs a tough time. If Suarez and Alcacer drift wide to allow Messi to get involved, the likes of Marcelo and Dani Carvajal would be forced to drop back and assist Sergio Ramos and Nacho Fernandez.
Enrique also has a call to make on whether Andres Iniesta plays or not. The Spaniard has come off the bench more often than he has started and only has three assists in the league this season. He is yet to score in the league but remember the standing ovation he received last year?
