1 week ago
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Barcelona faces Real Madrid on Sunday with Marcus Rashford ready for his first Clasico since joining on loan from Manchester United.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, is expected to play in the famous game after being named in Madrid's squad. The England defender is aiming to recover his full match fitness ahead of next month's trip to Liverpool, as the former Red returns to Merseyside.
Alexander-Arnold hasn't played since last month due to a hamstring injury, and it's unclear exactly what role he'll have on Sunday. Rashford, meanwhile, has featured for the full 90 minutes in Barca's previous three fixtures across all competitions, scoring three goals.
Two of those strikes came in the Champions League on Tuesday, with his efforts being the fourth and sixth in a 6-1 triumph over Olympiacos. Rashford also found the net against Sevilla prior to the international break.
Nevertheless, that was simply a consolation strike, as Sevilla prevailed 4-1. That fixture is why the Catalans enter El Clasico at the Bernabeu two points adrift of their hosts.
Madrid's 1-1 stalemate away to Rayo Vallecano is also proving costly, as Los Blancos have surrendered points in just one encounter, their 5-2 reverse against Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona, though, knows a victory would see the team overtake Madrid into first place. Rashford, speaking mid-week, said: "It's not a long career, and the first thing you're going to miss when you retire is this type of match."
When questioned about his future, he responded: "I hope to be here for a long time."
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick also appears to want the forward to remain.
Flick said: "He's very quick. He combines with his teammates well and with confidence, and he's only going to go from strength to strength as he understands them better. He is already delivering 100 per cent of what I expect from him."
Rashford was effusive in his praise for his colleagues following their demolition of Olympiacos, captioning an Instagram post: "Amazing night at home. What a TEAM!!"
Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes responded with a star-struck emoji, while fellow loanee Andre Onana echoed the sentiment, adding the message: "Rashyyyyyy".
Subsequently, on Friday, he posted what could be viewed as an ominous warning for Alexander-Arnold and Madrid. Rashford shared training photos with the caption: "All set for Sunday."
Should he feature, Rashford would be the first Englishman to don the Barcelona jersey in El Clasico since 1988, marking the last of Gary Lineker's eight appearances - nearly a decade before Rashford's birth.
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