Arda Turan & Paco Alcacer are the alternatives to Neymar
The Turkish international is back in training and is the obvious Ney replacement
Alcacer has not played a lot this season and is not familiar with playing wide
The fear after Neymar was sent off against Malaga was that he would miss the Real Madrid game this month. With a two game ban, he would have been ruled out. And that fear became a reality when the RFEF hit him with a three game ban. It leaves Barcelona with a key player missing the Clasico.
Luis Enrique loses one of his key players, the one who can affect games as much as Leo Messi. So he will have to look to his squad -- not through choice, but through obligation. Lucho has several options, although two of them seem more likely: Paco Alcacer and Arda Turan. The former has played in the last three league games. He played 17 minutes at Granada and scored in the win. He also created Neymar's goal. He played 25 minutes against Sevilla and also came on against Malaga. However, the handicap is he's not used to playing wide, it's not a natural position for his qualities.
The opposite can be said for Arda Turan, who usually fills in for Neymar. The Turkish international is comfortable there. In fact, each time he has filled in for the Brazilian he has managed to do quite well, scoring hat-tricks on two occasions. Despite playing less than Neymar, he has scored 13 goals -- La Liga (3), Champions League (4), Copa del Rey (4), Spanish Super Cup (2). That is just two fewer goals than Neymar, who with 15 is the third top scorer at the club this season.
In attack, his contribution is without doubt, above all when he plays as a foward. But Arda has struggled a little bit more in midfield. The problem he has is that he's only just coming back from a muscle injury after three weeks out. He's now back in training, as of Wednesday, although he may not be in top condition for Madrid.
denis SUAREZ?
The Galician midfielder, despite playing less than many of his team-mates, could also replace Neymar. In fact, some of his best games for Barça B and Villarreal came playing in a wide left position. While he usually plays in midfield, it would not be strange for him to fill in for Neymar.
