The first El Clasico of the 2015/2016 campaign sees Real Madrid looking to catch their bitter rivals at the La Liga summit following the unexpected defeat to Sevilla ahead of the international break.

Meanwhile, Barcelona would go six points clear with a win at the Bernabeu, but it remains to be seen if their chances will be damaged by the potential absence of Leo Messi.

Real Madrid may not have been at their attacking best under Rafael Benitez, but they were looking good in all competitions until recently.

Los Blancos then succumbed to the first defeat of the season just before the international break, suffering a 3-2 loss to Sevilla at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

And with the first match after the two-week break seeing them host arch rivals Barcelona, it won’t be easy for los Merengues to return to winning ways.

But, with Leo Messi highly unlikely to be in the starting line-up, there may be value in betting on home win at odds of 2.55 (14/9).

There have been some good news for Rafael Benitez as James Rodriguez and Danilo Luiz da Silva joined the squad after returning from international duty.

Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos and Keylor Navas are also back in contention, although the Frenchman is not in perfect physical condition and may start on the bench.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Navas – Danilo, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo – Modric, Casemiro, Kroos – Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo.

Even with disappointing defeats to Celta Vigo and Sevilla, Barcelona opened up a three-point lead at the La Liga summit, while also securing their place in the Champions League knockout stages.

It was the entire team led by Neymar and Luis Suarez that ensured Lionel Messi was not sorely missed in the last two months, meaning the Catalans are feeling confident ahead of the trip to Bernabeu.

Barcelona not only won their last three fixtures, but now have four clean sheets in a row, and we all know their back line were never really rock solid.

And while the Catalans probably wouldn’t mind sharing the spoils with Real Madrid, they will be going for a win, and they are 2.80 (9/5) to succeed in their quest.

According to the latest reports, Luis Enrique will not risk Leo Messi, who will be left on the bench as he has yet to fully recover from a knee injury.

The good news is that star midfielder Ivan Rakitic should be fit to play, whereas Javier Mascherano is back from suspension.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Bravo – Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba – Roberto, Busquets, Rakitic – Iniesta, Suarez, Neymar.