Two of the best clubs in the world, full of the sport’s elite superstars, meet in the first El Clásico of the season.

Cristiano Ronaldo may no longer face Lionel Messi in the Clásico, but the biggest La Liga game of the calendar year still has plenty of star power on offer. From Vinícius Júnior and Kylian Mbappé to Robert Lewandowski and Lamine Yamal, generational talent will be on the pitch when Real Madrid host Barcelona on October 26. In fact, a lineup of players from both teams across Europe would likely be unstoppable.

Here is SI Soccer’s El Clásico combined eleven.

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With both Thibaut Courtois and Marc-André ter Stegen injured, Andriy Lunin and Iñaki Peña will start Saturday’s game. Although both goalkeepers are backup goalkeepers, Lunin’s experience as Real Madrid’s starting goalkeeper for almost the entire 2023/24 season gives him an advantage over Peña, who has only 29 caps in six years with the Catalans.

Lunin also started two of Real Madrid’s three games against Barcelona last season and Los Blancos won both games.

Jules Koundé remains one of Barcelona’s unsung heroes. The defender has been in the starting line-up in 12 of Barcelona’s 13 games under Hansi Flick and has even scored a goal.

With Dani Carvajal injured, the Frenchman is Spain’s best right-back and will have the difficult task of holding on to Vinícius Júnior in El Clásico.

Barcelona’s Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez have developed into a strong centre-back pairing, but individually neither player can be compared to Éder Militão. When healthy, the Brazilian is one of the best center backs in the sport for both club and country.

With Carvajal out this season, Militão remains an irreplaceable part of Real Madrid’s defensive line.

Antonio Rüdiger’s free transfer from Chelsea is proving to be one of Real Madrid’s best deals in recent years. The German international is a wall in front of goal and Los Blancos’ best goal from set pieces. In fact, Rüdiger is the team’s second-best goalscorer in the Champions League this season.

Even though his supporting cast changes due to injury, Rüdiger still delivers well against the best strikers in Europe.

The left-back position is one of the weakest points at both Real Madrid and Barcelona. Ferland Mendy has been anything but impressive for Los Blancos this season and Alejandro Balde completes our collective defensive line.

The 21-year-old does his job at both ends of the pitch without much fanfare; With a team averaging four goals per game, the Spaniard doesn’t need to do more.

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Fede Valverde was arguably Real Madrid’s best player this season. The Uruguayan has started all 14 games of Los Blancos’ Spanish and European seasons and is the engine of the midfield. Without Toni Kroos in the team, Valverde has become Real Madrid’s new stabilizing force.

Valverde enters the Clásico with two goals and remains one of both teams’ biggest opponents when it comes to thwarting a long-range shot.

As Barcelona battle an injury crisis in the midfield, Pedri has reminded the world how good he is in the midfield. From his precise passing to his versatility, the Spaniard is in a class of his own at just 21 years old.

Pedri’s goal-scoring abilities are often overlooked when talking about the impressive midfielder, but his three goals for Barcelona this season put his outstanding finishing skills in the spotlight.

Jude Bellingham may not have scored a goal this season, but the midfielder is contributing in all other areas of the pitch. From his defensive performance to his vision in the final third, the 21-year-old is still in every way the player who took home the La Liga Player of the Year award last season.

In his first season with Carlo Ancelotti’s side, Bellingham scored the winning goal in both of Real Madrid’s La Liga games against Barcelona.

Every week Lamine Yamal proves that his performance at Euro 2024 was no fluke. The 17-year-old continues to break record after record as he elevates his game under Flick.

The Spaniard has already scored five goals and seven assists across all competitions and is virtually unstoppable when given enough time and space. Expect Yamal to have a lot of success on the left flank against Real Madrid’s Mendy.

It’s impossible to compete against Robert Lewandowski, even if Kylian Mbappé is the other option. The Poland international leads La Liga with 12 goals in 10 games and added three more Champions League goals to his overall tally.

At this point it’s more surprising if Lewandowski does this not score as if he does.

A possible Ballon d’Or was the only thing separating Vinícius Júnior and Raphinha on the left. The international teammates have both scored UCL hat-tricks for their respective clubs and are undoubtedly two of the best wingers in Europe, let alone Spain.

After a slow start to the season, Vinícius Jr. has scored eight goals and four assists in all competitions and remains Real Madrid’s best striker. He may have one goal fewer than Raphinha’s nine goals, but there is no doubt that Vinícius Jr. is in a league of his own.

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