The biggest club game in world football takes place on Saturday night when Barcelona host arch rivals Real Madrid at the Camp Nou.

Both sides come into the game following exits from the UEFA Champions League in midweek. Barça beat Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield but lost out on the away goals rule whilst Real travelled to Munich to take on Bayern with a 3-2 lead, but a goal inside the first 10 seconds from Roy Makaay saw them lose 2-1 on the night and also exit the competition on the away goals rule.

In this seasons first "Clásico" at the Santiago Bernabeu, Fabio Capello's side won 2-0 thanks to early goals at the start of each half from Raul and Ruud van Nistelrooy despite Barça dominating the majority of the game.

Both sides need a victory to kick start their stuttering seasons. Barça currently lie in second place but can reclaim top spot for at least 24 hours should they avoid defeat, whilst Madrid can pile the pressure on Barça and reduce the gap between the two sides to just 2 points with a victory.

Barça also know that should they fail to get any points, they could end the week in 3rd place should Valencia win their game against Osasuna on Sunday night.

Barcelona
The biggest doubt for Barça is the fitness of Ronaldinho after it was feared he had torn a muscle in his left leg. He has been included in the squad but will face a very late fitness test to see if he can take any part in the game.

Two names missing from the game are Ludovic Giuly and Gianluca Zambrotta, who are serving suspensions after being sent off against Sevilla last weekend.

Returning to the squad are Juliano Belletti and Deco. Belletti hasn't played since injuring himself during the first leg of the Barça - Liverpool tie at the Camp Nou, whilst Deco missed the game away to Sevilla last week.

Real Madrid
Real Madrid are statistically the best away side in La Liga and will be looking to prove that at the Camp Nou. Coach Fabio Capello has been under intense pressure and it was even thought he would be sacked before the game - that hasn't happen and he will be on the Merengues' hot seat.

Last weekend, Madrid could only manage a draw at home to Getafe. The week before that, they claimed a lucky 1-1 draw away to Atletico Madrid and the week before that, they could only manage a 0-0 draw at home to struggling Real Betis.

Roberto Carlos, who announced that he would leave Madrid this summer, will not have one more visit to the Camp Nou as he has been ruled out with injury. That is more likely to be bad news for Barça as they will not be able to profit from a Roberto Carlos cock up like Bayern did during the week.

The other Madrid injury is FIFA World Player of the Year, Fabio Cannavaro.

Squads
Barcelona: Valdés, Jorquera, Puyol, Xavi, Belletti, Saviola, Oleguer, Iniesta, Ronaldinho, Messi, Gudjohnsen, Márquez, Edmílson, Sylvinho, Ezquerro, Eto'o, Thuram and Deco.

Real Madrid: Casillas, López, Casilla, Salgado, Helguera, Pavón, Torres, Ramos, Mejía, Emerson, Diarrá, Guti, Gago, De la Red, Robinho, Raúl, van Nistelrooy, Cassano and Higuín.

Previous Encounters
The last Clásico earlier this year ended 2-0 to Madrid at the Bernabeu.

Last season, Barça demolished Madrid at the Bernabeu 0-3 thanks to a pair of out-of-this-world goals from Ronaldinho. The second game at the Camp Nou saw 10 man Madrid grab a 1-1 draw after Ronaldo broke away from Thiago Motta, who pulled a muscle, and scored an equaliser after Barça had gone ahead from an early penalty.