First Clasico of the season on Sunday. Well, kind of.
Real Madrid and Barcelona head to the United States early this morning, although the upcoming meeting is a pre-season friendly. How friendly a match between these two bitter enemies can be is debatable.
There is little chance of a similar needle as rivalry games, especially when both sides do not have a lot of familiar faces. At Real Madrid, that includes star Jude Bellingham and new signing Kylian Mbappe.
But why aren't these two playing against Barcelona this weekend?
Simply put, Mbappe and Bellingham are unavailable due to their involvement in Euro 2024 this summer.
The former Paris Saint-Germain striker is still recovering from the trip to the semi-final of the tournament against France and is yet to meet his new team-mates in Madrid. Mbappe will miss the entire tour of the United States and is expected to make his first appearance in the white jersey in the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta on August 14 in Warsaw, Poland.
Similarly, Bellingham is also recovering from a difficult summer. The midfielder helped England reach the finals of Euro 2024, although he was unable to guide them to glory in the exhibition match against Spain. He might come back with the UEFA Super Cup, too.
Madrid will be without a number of key players for their clash with Hansi Flick's side, including French trio Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and Ferland Mendy. All three have gone to Euro 2024 and are still recovering ahead of the new season.
Surprise Ballon d'Or winner Dani Carvajal is also absent after winning Euro 2024. The right-back is enjoying a rest after helping Los Blancos to two goals last season – scoring in the Champions League final – and guiding Spain to victory. summer. Federico Valverde is on holiday after reaching the semi-finals of the Copa America with Uruguay.
Despite having played abroad this summer, the Brazilian triumvirate of Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo and Eder Militao have now joined Real Madrid in the United States. Their exit at the start of the Copa America means they are in a position to play Barcelona.
Castilla's young stars Alvaro Rodriguez and Cesar Palacios are also absent after sustaining serious injuries against Milan during their away trip to Madrid. They returned to Spain to recover.
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