Barcelona’s iconic Camp Nou stadium will be host to one of the finest football matches of the calendar year as Barcelona will be up against arch-rivals Real Madrid in the season’s first El Clasico. Undoubtedly, star Barca forward Lionel Messi is expected to be the biggest talking point of the match.

Meanwhile, reports are now suggesting that Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane has already started preparing for the much-anticipated encounter where Madrid will have to deal with an in-form Leo. According to a report carried by Ovacion Digital, the Zidane has already made a detailed plan to stop Lionel Messi from weaving his magic against Madrid.

The report further claims that Zidane will play Federico Valverde in the midfield and will be responsible for man-marking the Argentine legend. This implies that Valverde will be given the responsibility of following Messi on the field wherever he goes and at the same time be a handy central midfielder.

On the other hand, Lionel Messi celebrated his record sixth Ballon d’Or win last week after scoring a splendid hat-trick against Real Mallorca in La Liga. His hat-trick ensured Barca win and remain at the top of the points tally. Messi has also been rested for the game against Inter Milan to make sure he is fully fit and rearing to go for the Real Madrid clash.