Barcelona's Youth Vital in Madrid Clasico Battle

Barcelona faces Real Madrid in the first Clasico of the season, relying heavily on their La Masia youth academy due to an injury crisis.

The highly anticipated first Clasico of the season between La Liga champions Barcelona and bitter rivals Real Madrid is set to take place on Saturday. However, Barcelona finds themselves in a difficult situation due to an injury crisis that has affected key players in defense, midfield, and attack.

Despite the challenges, Barcelona has been forced to heavily rely on players from their renowned La Masia youth academy. Last weekend, 17-year-old striker Marc Guiu made an impressive debut by scoring a goal just 33 seconds into the game. Additionally, Lamine Yamal and Fermin Lopez secured comeback draws against Granada and Real Mallorca.

While Barcelona's first team already includes young players who have come through the club's youth system, the current injury crisis has further emphasized their dependence on the academy. Injured stars such as Robert Lewandowski, Frenkie de Jong, and Raphinha are working hard to return to the field for at least some part of the game. However, Jules Kounde, Pedri, and Sergi Roberto are expected to miss out.

Real Madrid has also faced injury problems of their own, but defender Nacho Fernandez will be allowed to play after his ban for a dangerous tackle was shortened. England international Jude Bellingham, who is the league's top scorer with eight goals, has been a key player for Madrid since his €103 million transfer from Borussia Dortmund this summer.

In contrast to Real Madrid's activity in the transfer market, Barcelona, still grappling with financial issues, was limited to signing players on free transfers or loans. They also made a low-cost move for midfielder Oriol Romeu to fill the void left by former captain Sergio Busquets.

Barcelona coach Xavi acknowledges the need to rely on their young players during this challenging period. He believes that they are ready to step up and has emphasized the importance of betting on homegrown talent when things don't go well.

With Barcelona facing difficulties and struggling to consistently deliver the quality of football expected of the club, Real Madrid sees an opportunity to deal a blow to their morale by inflicting their first league defeat. Although Madrid has not yet reached their top form, they have shown glimpses of it.

The build-up to the Clasico has not only focused on football but also included off-field controversies. Madrid has launched a campaign against Spain's referees, with Real Madrid TV producing videos criticizing officials even before matches are played. Barcelona president Joan Laporta has claimed that there is a bias towards Real Madrid in Spain, referring to it as 'sociological Madridismo'. Laporta himself is facing bribery charges in the 'Negreira case', which he believes is an example of the alleged favoritism towards Real Madrid.

The tension between the two clubs has been further fueled by a social media post from a Barcelona spokesman dismissing recent racist incidents involving Madrid winger Vinicius Junior. This has reportedly led to Madrid president Florentino Perez deciding to boycott the Clasico in protest.

Both Xavi and Carlo Ancelotti, the coaches of Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, hope that their club's success will be the main topic of discussion once the game is over.

In other La Liga matches, second-place Girona will host Celta Vigo on Friday and have the opportunity to surpass Madrid at the top of the table before the Clasico. Atletico Madrid, currently in fourth place, will face Alaves on Sunday night.

The full list of La Liga fixtures this weekend includes Almeria v Las Palmas, Barcelona v Real Madrid, Real Mallorca v Getafe, and Cadiz v Sevilla on Saturday. On Sunday, Real Betis will play against Osasuna, Rayo Vallecano will face Real Sociedad, and Athletic Bilbao will take on Valencia. The round of matches will conclude on Monday with Granada playing against Villarreal.