The Spanish tactician believes Barcelona's battle to have the player's ban expunged allow him to use him during the crucial La Liga tie.

In what can be seen as a bold move, Luis Enrique seems ready to hand Neymar a placein the Starting XI this Sunday despite the fact that the Brazilian needs to serve three more games away from the pitch for mocking a referee.

The Spanish boss feels that Los Blaugranas have followed the right channels to have the ban overturned, and admitted he will decide whether to start the Brazilian or not prior to the game.

"I believe the club is looking after its interests, including those concerning the players. I'm ready to have my team playing with and without Neymar. I don't know if it's fair or not to have him around, you'll just have to wait and see if I use him or not," the Asturian boss stated.

Neymar's ban has been appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but according to their office, Barcelona's letter arrived after their members had left. An extraordinay meeting may take place on Saturday evening to decide if the Brazilian can play or not, but as of now, Neymar is listed as an ineligible player.

Regarding the relevance of the game, Luis Enrique admitted that this is a do-or-die match for his side, considering the three-point gap between them and the Spanish capital giants.

"There's no doubt in my mind. This games is like a final for us. We'll consider the result afterwards to see if the La Liga race is over or not. In any case, we cannot consider it lost until it is mathematically confirmed," the coach added.

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Real Madrid 2 - 3 Barcelona

April 23, 2017 2:45pmEstadio Santiago Bernabeu

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

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