Thomas Vermaelen's first Clasico... and Javier Mascherano's last
The Belgian has played four La Liga matches in a row at a good level
Javier Mascherano is back from injury but seems unlikely to start
Thomas Vermaelen will go through his big test of fire on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Beglian defender has earned a place in the line up after showing his reliability in the four games running he's played in La Liga - Valencia, Celta, Villarreal, Deportivo, as well as UCL match vs Sporting and Copa del Rey vs Murcia.
Since arriving at Barcelona in 2014 Vermaelen has had a rocky road, mainly because of injuries. He's only played 28 games for the club - and went on loan to Roma last season.
Saturday will be his first Clasico. He will face off with Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo and it will be his great chance to show that, if injuries respect him, he is a top quality defender.
MASCH heading OUT
Javier Mascherano's situation is quite the opposite. He has played 20 Clasicos, with seven wins, five draws and eight defeats, but seems unlikely to start even though he's back from injury.
Masche is in stoppage time at Barcelona ahead of a likely move to China's Hebei Fortune in the winter window. When Samuel Umtiti is back he can make his move official. This will be his last Clasico.
