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ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann look in great shape ahead of Barcelona‘s Clasico clash with Real Madrid on Saturday at the Camp Nou.
The French duo are not guaranteed a place in the starting XI for the crucial fixture but seem to be doing all they can to convince manager Ronald Koeman of their worth.
Dembele, who came off the bench and scored in the Champions League win over Ferencvaros on Tuesday, has also been banging in the goals on the training ground.
The 22-year-old is not the only player looking in red-hot form. Griezmann produced a gorgeous lob that flew over the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
G ⚽ L A Z ⚽
🔝 @AntoGriezmann 🎩
Griezmann was rested for Barcelona’s 5-1 win over Ferencvaros but will be hoping he’s restored to the starting XI for Saturday’s match.
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Barcelona’s Youngsters Also Shine
There was also plenty more talent to admire on the training ground at Barcelona, as youngsters Riqui Puig and Konrad de la Fuente showed exactly what they can do too during the session.
Puig’s dribbling ability and quality in possession were on show again, while Konrad’s nonchalance in front of goal and cheeky finish shows the 19-year-old hardly lacks for confidence.
Un poco de espectáculo de Riqui Puig y Konrad de la Fuente en el entrenamiento del Barça. Me gustaría que Koeman los tuviera más en cuenta para esta temporada, sobretodo en el caso de Riqui, que está un poco más hecho. Talento joven en Can Barça. #FCBlive
t.co/vvfr8xQOE5
The duo should feature in Koeman’s matchday squad but it’s unlikely either player will see any minutes against Real Madrid. Yet there is optimism both players will make the breakthrough into the first team and can go on and enjoy plenty more games against Los Blancos in the future.
Koeman’s Selection Headache
Manager Koeman certainly looks to have a selection headache going into the match after seeing his team hammer five goals past Ferencvaros in midweek. Philippe Coutinho, Lionel Messi, Pedri, Dembele, and Ansu Fati were all on target in the match.
Coutinho and Fati have arguably been Barcelona’s best performers in the opening weeks of the season. The teenage striker is the club’s top scorer with four goals, while Coutinho has two goals and two assists.
As such it seems almost certain that both players will start on Saturday. Captain Lionel Messi is also guaranteed a place in the starting XI. The Argentine is the all-time top scorer in the history of the famous fixture with 26 goals against Los Blancos.
The final spot in the attack seems to be between Griezmann, Dembele and 20-year-old new signing Francisco Trincao. The forward from Braga enjoyed an impressive full debut last time out in the Champions League.
Yet it’s not clear if Koemann would be willing to start the relatively inexperienced Trincao in a match of such importance. Griezmann and Dembele look the more likely options, and it will be fascinating to see Koeman’s team selection.
Barcelona does have one more training session for the game which gives Koeman time to fine-tune his preparations for the visit of Zinedine Zidane’s side. The team will train again on Friday which also gives the players one last chance to stake a claim for a starting spot.
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