Spain’s ‘El Clasico’ set for Saturday

The Argentine forward, 28, has been out with a knee injury since 26 September but returned to training this week. Something that Real Madrid wouldn’t have that luxury if Barcelona were to win.

“We will try to minimise their potential, we know how strong they are in every department. Obviously he won’t be at 100pc in physical terms due to the time he has been out but he is so important that to have him recovered at least gives us a few security”.

“When will I make the decision about Messi starting or not?”

“Messi can change the game and he’s done incredible things in previous clasicos”, Barcelona striker Luis Suarez said. They picked up right where they left off at the beginning of the season before Messi’s injury and they’ll probably pick up in the same place when he returns.

Bale noted that Real, who replaced coach Carlo Ancelotti with Rafa Benitez at the end of last season, have lost only one match this term but said there was “some room for improvement”. “We still have to decide whether he starts or not”.

Messi has missed nine matches through injury, with Barca winning seven of those, with both Neymar and Luis Suarez dazzling in his absence. Another question in the mid of coach Luis Enrique will be whether he should start with Lionel Messi or not. “I will speak with him after training and see what feedback I get”. Many players in this game were with the Spanish national team earlier this week, who saw their friendly against Belgium cancelled for security concerns.

With the start of the January transfer window just over six weeks away, a number of players have been linked with Real over the worldwide break, while Gareth Bale continues to be linked with a move away from the club. Meanwhile, Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Keylor Navas have all been included in the squad after overcoming various fitness issues.

Real are the highest scorers in La Liga and Benitez added: “The attributes of this Real Madrid team mean we have to attack regularly, threaten the opposition keeper and score goals, and that’s what we’re going to do”.

“We don’t focus so much on our opponents”.

Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta has reminded Real Madrid that his team will be formidable even if star player Lionel Messi is unable to play in Saturday’s La Liga showdown at Santiago Bernabeu.