Fermín López will likely start for Barcelona in El Clásico on Saturday, report Mundo Deportivo. With fellow midfielders Pedri and Frenkie de Jong unlikely to feature, Xavi could put out an eleven with four midfielders for the first Clásico of the season.
Oriol Romeu is expected to start alongside Ilkay Gündogan, Fermín López and Gavi in the engine room. Xavi likes López’s personality, similar to that of Gavi. He offers a mix of energy and hard work, and is quick-thinking. Against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League in midweek, he created the first goal, scored the second and could have been involved in a third.
Read more: Three key battles to watch out for in El Clásico
In the 2-1 win, López had the most shots (5), the most on target (2), and the second most recoveries (8). It is therefore not surprising that he is in contention to be in the starting eleven against Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid this weekend.
Kieran Quaile | GSFN
