Life at new club has been pleasant for Luis Enrique so far having guided his side to seven victories in the eight league games they have played. Having played in the high intensity Clasico games during his playing days on numerous occasions, the 44 year old is now set to participate in the fiery fixture for the first time as a manager.
He will need special assistance from the following five players who will need to be at the top of their game if Barcelona are to achieve anything in the match.
Claudio Bravo
The Chilean was signed after an impressive showing in the World Cup and the 31 year old has so far managed to live up to the billing for his club. Bravo has not conceded a league goal in 720 minutes of football and he will be hoping to maintain that after the conclusion of the big game against Real Madrid.
However the Chilean must be vary that the Real Madrid attack is nothing like what he has faced so far and keeping a clean sheet against the likes of Benzema and Ronaldo might not be that straightforward. It goes without saying that Bravo must be at his level best in a match where mistakes cannot be forgiven. It is important that Bravo is alert in set piece situations which is one area Madrid are particularly stronger at than their counterparts.
Jeremy Mathieu
The French international is poised to make his first clasico start, but owing to his experience it will not be a surprise if the former Valencia man puts a composed performance on Saturday. He will be well aware of the task at hand having played against Real Madrid on numerous occasions in the past.
Carles Puyol's departure has left a big hole in the Barcelona defence and whereas Mathieu might not be of a similar caliber he has made a good start to his Barcelona career and should he put an assured performance on Saturday, Barcelona have a big chance of picking up an important victory over their bitter rivals.
Sergio Busquets
The 26 year old has been one of the most consistent players in the Barcelona squad in recent years and Enrique would be hoping to have his midfielder back for the important match after missing the Champions League match against Ajax due to a hip injury.
Busquets' main target on Saturday would be to ensure that Toni Kroos does not have much freedom to operate. The German international is one of the finest playmakers in the world of football right now and can hurt the opposition with his super passing range if given too much freedom. If Busquets can somehow curb Kroos' creativity during the match it will give his side a huge advantage.
Neymar
The Brazilian scored in his clasico debut and will be hoping for another successful outing having already registered eight league goals this season in just seven appearances.
But Neymar's job during the all important match will go beyond just creating goal scoring opportunities. On Saturday the Brazilian international must ensure that he also fulfills his defensive responsibilities and tracks back when needed to provide cover.
Lionel Messi
The Argentine needs just two goals to become the leading goal scorer in La Liga history but the talismanic forward must ensure that he keeps his team's interests over his personal goals.
The 27 year old has seven goals and seven assists so far in just eight league games and will definitely be integral to Barcelona's success on Saturday.
Both teams have been in magnificent form in recent games and it will be interesting to see which side emerges as the better one on Saturday. Whereas team effort will have a big part to play, but with so much individual talent on display it will not come as a surprise if one of the aforementioned players make a difference.
