El Clasico: Real Madrid vs Barcelona Combined XI

Midfielders

Toni Kroos

*

The German is arguably the best midfielder in the league, and he edges out the two Croatians who have a valid claim for one of these three spots - Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic - by simply being in better form than the other two.

His set-piece ability also marks him a notch above his competition while his ability to mix his box-to-box duties with that of a deep-lying midfielder is unmatched by anyone on the planet.

Sergio Busquets

The Catalan looked a touch lost last season as Barca's migration from a midfield-based powerhouse to being completely dependent on arguably the greatest trio of forwards ever assembled reached its zenith.

But with Valverde pulling the attention back to the area that the club considers integral to its identity, Busquets has returned to the kind of form that made him the best holding midfielder on the planet.

His recent form has made him undroppable - and that's the only reason why Casemiro does not make this XI

Paulinho

*

Everyone laughed at the price tag and the name and the league he came from. No one saw this coming.

Paulinho has been the signing of the season in La Liga with his combination of endless running, pure athleticism and power, neat passing, and uncanny knack to make the most incisive off-the-ball runs (a la Frank Lampard) and he has made Barcelona the powerhouse team they are at the moment.