The first El Clasico of the season will be played at the Camp Nou as Real Madrid will travel to the home of their arch-rivals Barcelona with hopes of moving to the top of the table. The teams are locked on the same points in the standings but the Catalan side acquires the first position, courtesy a better goal difference. Both teams were held to a draw in their respective matches and will be looking to bounce back with a win in the biggest match of the season so far. The match was originally set to be played on October 27, 2019 but was postponed due to some political unrest in Catalonia. So ahead of El Clasico 2019, we take a look at some key battles that could ultimately decide the outcome of this match. Barcelona, Real Madrid Look to Grab Top Spot in La Liga El Clasico Clash.

Both Barcelona and Real Madrid have been underwhelming this season and the results are much better than their performances indicate. The Catalan side have recently been dominant in this fixture and are unbeaten in the last six games against their biggest rivals. The last La Liga fixture between the teams at Nou Camp ended in Barca thrashing the Madrid side 5-1 with Luis Suarez scoring a hat-trick so the Catalan club will be in a confident mood going into this clash. Real Madrid after a sluggish start have some-what found their groove and are unbeaten since October in all competitions. The record Spanish champions will know that they need to be at their best if they are to manage a win at the home their arch-rivals in La Liga, a feat they haven’t managed to achieve since 2016. El Clasico 2019, Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Video Of Sergio Ramos' Worst Tackles On Lionel Messi Goes Viral.

Lionel Messi vs Sergio Ramos

An age-old rivalry that will renew itself in the first El Clasico of the 2019-20 season. Both players have locked horns a countless number of times in the past decade with Argentine coming out on top on most occasions. Lionel Messi has been in spectacular form this season and the Madrid captain will take the onus upon himself to stop the Barcelona forward from making any impact in the match. Ramos has used some unconventional methods to stop Messi in the past encounters and will not shy away from using them again if necessary.

Gerard Pique vs Karim Benzema

The Barcelona center-back has found his feet after some dismal performances at the start of the season. He was instrumental in Barca’s last match against Sociedad as his performance helped the Catalan side to come away with a crucial point. Karim Benzema, on the other hand, has been the focal point of the Madrid's attack and is enjoying one of his best campaigns in front of the goal. The Frenchman is tied with Leo Messi on the top scorer’s chart and will be eager to add to his tally.

Frenkie de Jong vs Luka Modric

The team which wins the midfield battle will win the El Clasico, so de Jong and Modric will be very important for their respective clubs. The Dutch midfielder has adjusted to life in Barcelona very quickly and has been a regular for the Catalan side this season. Luka Modric is also enjoying a brilliant campaign as he has two goals and four assists in La Liga. This will be an interesting clash as the young starlet in Barcelona’s midfield will take on the old-guard of Real Madrid.

Ansu Fati vs Vinicius Jr

Both youngsters have burst on to the scene this season and are sure to play an important role in this Clasico as well. Ansu Fati if features, will be the youngest player to play in an El Clasico for Barcelona breaking the record of Bojan Krkic. Vinicius has played in a Clasico before and caused the Barca defence a lot of problems, so he could be a good option for Zidane to bring on in the later stages of the game.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 18, 2019 12:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).