Football
Dermot Corrigan, Madrid correspondent 9y

Luis Suarez will make Barcelona debut in clasico vs. Real Madrid

Barcelona coach Luis Enrique says Luis Suarez will play some part in Saturday's La Liga clasico at Real Madrid, but will not reveal if the attacker will start the game or enter from the bench.

The 80 million-euro summer signing from Liverpool will finally be free to play for his new club, with the four-month ban imposed for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at last summer's World Cup ending on Friday night.

After competing in a handful of behind-closed-doors matches for his new club and a pair of international friendlies for Uruguay earlier this month, Suarez -- who has said he feels he is on the "right path" -- will make his debut for Barca at the Bernabeu against the Champions League holders.

"[Suarez] will have some minutes for sure, how many I cannot say," Enrique told his pregame news conference on Friday. "It is a big thing for him, to join up finally with the team, and get some minutes."

The 27-year-old has scored on his debut for all his European clubs -- Groningen, Ajax and Liverpool -- and also returned from a long injury absence with two goals in a match-winning performance for Uruguay in the World Cup against England. Enrique said that the ability to make an impression after so much time out depended a lot on the personality of the player involved.

"Each case is totally different, depends on the profile of the player," he said. "It depends a lot on the personality of each player."

Barca's other big selection issue ahead of the game is whether Sergio Busquets can start in midfield despite a persistent groin issue, and then which of Javier Mascherano, Jeremy Mathieu, Marc Bartra and Gerard Pique will play at centre-back.

Although Busquets has not yet been given the all clear, Enrique suggested he would play, but would not share any thoughts on his likely defensive lineup.

"Busquets is very good, he has trained with everyone, and in principle is available without any problem," he said. "There are [defenders] with different profiles, different characteristics, for different situations. I have a lot of options, and possibilities, in the three lines."

Adding goalkeeper Claudio Bravo and midfielder Ivan Rakitic to Suarez and Mathieu, Barca could have four clasico debutants, but Enrique said all his new players could handle such a big occasion.

"These games are very different for what is in play, for what it means to the players," he said. "You see that in the training the week before. [But] most these players have played big internationals and important games with their clubs before. The only thing the players are interested in is getting the three points at the Bernabeu."

The former Spain midfielder himself spent five seasons as a player with Madrid before making a shock switch to Barca in the summer of 1996, and then revelling in scoring and winning in clasicos against his former side.

Even with Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti appearing to add to the potential morbo [morbid fascination] of the clash by saying he could never switch between the two clubs, the Asturian said he was not expecting his past to be an issue on Saturday.

"It is very different going as a coach than as a player," Enrique said. "I hardly remember any more what it was like as a player, it is so many years now. Last year as a coach [with Celta Vigo] it was very relaxed and pleasant, without any problems. I have a lot of respect for Ancelotti, as a player and now as a coach. We all have the right to make a joke. There is no problem at all."

Another matter being talked up ahead of the game is the 6 p.m. kick-off coming less than 72 hours after Madrid's Champions League game at Liverpool on Wednesday night, while Barca have an extra day to prepare having played Ajax at home on Tuesday. Luis Enrique agreed this could be an advantage for his side.

"[The concerns] are correct, without any doubt," he said. "I would prefer a more uniform calendar that is fairer to everyone. I would also prefer to play later, but it is controlled by TV, which we cannot do anything about."

Enrique also said Barca's four point-lead over Madrid in the early Primera Division table could also be seen as a positive, but insists it would not affect how he sent his side out at the Bernabeu.

"It is not something negative, it is an advantage," he added. "It means that until now we have been a complete, trustworthy team. In this match we will see if we are better than the opponent. We will go for the game from the start, without sitting back, look to have control of the ball in their half. That is our role. We will see if we are capable of doing that or not."

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