Who joins Ronaldo in missing out on the combined Clasico XI?

It’s not exactly a secret that Cristiano Ronaldo is upset with Rafa Benitez. Real Madrid’s club-record scorer has reportedly already called for a meeting to change the defensive style Benitez has brought, which hasn’t sat well with Florentino Perez. Madrid are only three points behind Barcelona, but all is not well at the Santiago Bernebau, where they will host their fiercest rivals on Saturday in the first Clasico of the season.

Ronaldo had 18 league goals at the same stage last season, but has only managed eight this time around, with five of those coming in one match. In fact, the Madrid No. 7 has already drawn a blank in seven league matches this season having only failed to score in 10 league games across of the whole of the last campaign.

The Portugal international statistics still boast a league record of eight goals in 11 appearances, but he has been largely disappointing this season and is the notable absentee from the combined Clasico XI.

The Madrid superstar, who is widely expected to leave at the end of the season, is joined by teammates Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and Karim Benzema on the sidelines in this XI. James Rodriguez is also missing, but he has only featured in three league games this season.

Barcelona’s fearsome front three unsurprisingly takes centre stage in the XI, although Luis Suarez and Neymar have been the main attractions at the Nou Camp this season, rather than Lionel Messi.

The Argentina international is expected to start on Saturday, but since limping off against Las Palmas at the end of September, his two teammates have scored all of Barcelona’s resulting 16 league goals.

However, perhaps the surprise inclusion is Sergi Roberto. The 23-year-old’s consistency has relatively flown under the radar following the performances of Neymar and Suarez. Roberto’s versatility – played in three positions - has been crucial in maintaining Barcelona’s strong start to the season.

Unsurprisingly, the bulk of the combined backline is made of Madrid players. While they haven’t been particularly inspiring going forward, they have proven to be impossible to breakdown at the back. In fact, only Atletico Madrid (6) have conceded fewer goals than Benitez’s side in La Liga this season (7).

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