A combined Real Madrid and Barcelona bench XI 

Defenders

Right-back - Achraf Hakimi (Real Madrid)

Achraf unquestionably has talent and potential to succeed at Real Madrid

The 19-year-old Moroccan footballer has played six fixtures this season and has impressed everybody with his performances. Especially in Real Madrid's Champions League fixture against Tottenham Hotspur at the Bernabeu, he showed that he could perform at a club of Real Madrid's stature.

The Moroccan teenager did an excellent job and kept experienced Vertonghen on his toes with his work rate.

Also, he has made five appearances for Moroccan national team. He made his international debut last year and had played as a right-back, left-back and centre-back for his side. The youngster has shown versatility for his national team and also has one international goal to his name.

The fact that he is the only backup that Zidane has for Dani Carvajal tells a lot about manager's trust in him. After the departure of Danilo to Manchester City, the club was expected to make a new signing for that vacant position.

Instead, Zidane promoted the young Achraf to the first team who only had one season at Madrid's B side, i.e. Real Madrid Castilla.

Despite some promising performances, he will be expected to struggle to find himself in Zidane's starting eleven after the return of Dani Carvajal. The defender also has to compete with Nacho for a regular role in Real Madrid's first team.

Centre-back - Jesús Vallejo Lázaro (Real Madrid)

It looks like Vallejo has to wait for his opportunities at Real Madrid.

The Spanish defender is known for his ability to read the game and many experts regard him as the future of Real Madrid defence. Currently, he is foreseen to put in a shift for Madrid captain, Sergio Ramos and Frenchman, Raphael Varane whenever needed. Just like Achraf, he also has to compete with versatile Nacho for his position in the Madrid lineup.

The 20-year-old defender from Zaragoza made his return to the Bernabeu after his successful loan spell at Bundesliga club, Eintracht Frankfurt. Vallejo played 27 matches at the German club and is also a regular member of the Spanish U-21 squad.

Vallejo also took part in 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with Spain. He was a regular member of the starting lineup named by manager, Albert Celades. Spain entered the final of the Championship, before finally being eliminated by Germany, and Vallejo was rock solid in the defence for the Spanish side.

Vallejo had to wait for 819 days to make his Real Madrid debut since Los Blancos announced his acquisition from Zaragoza in 2015. On his full debut for Real Madrid against Fuenlabrada last week, he put in a decent shift before a lunge on Luis Milla that earned him a red card. Instances like that will restrict him from getting more game time with Los Blancos' main team.

Centre-back - Thomas Vermaelen (FC Barcelona)

The Belgian's Barcelona career has been cut short due to injuries.

The former Arsenal captain is known for his strength in defence and his ability with the ball at his feet. Thomas Vermaelen became an FC Barcelona player on August 9, 2014. Signed from Arsenal, he arrived as an experienced centre-back with proven leadership skills.

The Barcelona career of the Belgian has been cut short by a series of injuries he faced at regular intervals. He has missed approximately a year (358 days) owing to these injury concerns.

The Belgian defender spent the 2016/17 season at Italian club AS Roma before returning to Barça when his loan spell was up. He only played 9 games at the Italian club, AS Roma and was hit by injuries thrice at the Italian capital.

Though this is his third season at FC Barcelona, the injury-prone defender has only featured in 11 games for his side. It took him 591 days to play his 11th club game after he featured against Malaga in March 2016. His 11th overall and first game of this season came in Copa Del Rey against Real Murcia.

He was pretty solid for the most of the game and could have scored too from a corner. Much to the defender's frustration, he is now away from the squad due to a hip injury which already has kept him out of a couple of games.

The 31-year-old defender can still be a decent performer if he can consistently stay fit.

Left-back - Lucas Digne (FC Barcelona)

Lucas Digne will have to settle as a backup for Jordi Alba.

The pacy defender, known for his crossing and tackling abilities, failed to outfox Jordi Alba in the Barcelona squad. The former Paris Saint-Germain defender signed for Barcelona for a reported fee of €16.5 million last season and has only played 20 games for them so far.

There were some situations last season when Jordi Alba wasn't quite at his best. Even then, former Barcelona manager, Luis Enrique, opted to stay with his experienced left back in his side's crucial clashes.

In the current season, Digne has played 368 minutes for Barcelona under his new manager Ernesto Valverde. He has looked sharp and much more confident than he was in his previous season. He already has one goal and one assist to his name, equaling his tally of last season.

His two starts in La Liga came in home games against Real Betis and Malaga, and one was in Barcelona's Copa Del Rey clash against Real Murcia. Pretty much tells that he will be used as a reinforcement to Alba by Valverde too.

Also, the Spanish left-back seems to have got his form back. Alba has provided five assists in La Liga, and Barcelona has only conceded two goals in 8 La Liga games that he has played. Hence, despite being good this season, Digne will have to settle for a role on the bench most often than not.