Barcelona will have to use all best players they have for this El Clásico. Win it and keep up their hope and chance to catch Real Madrid with 5 points when season will have 6 more matches after this El Clásico. This is a big task for Barcelona in this El Clásico but this contains risk for them too. Playing attacking against Real Madrid with many good attacking and speedy players, is very risky.
Xavi may be thinking about the best strategy to get the best results in the match later. But catching up with Madrid's points difference will be very difficult for Barcelona if you look at Madrid's remaining matches this season.
Even if Barcelona manages to win and get 3 additional points in the next match, I also doubt they can catch up with the points difference with Madrid. Even though there is still a chance, it will be quite difficult to achieve unless Madrid is really unlucky and has to perform badly in the next few matches.
Their one problem now is that if Xavi can anticipate that then the chance to hold back and even win in El Clasico is possible.
The problem for Barcelona is the lack of discipline of the players because seeing from some crucial matches that occurred such as when facing PSG in the Champions League quarter-finals and when facing Madrid in the final earlier last month we know discipline is the biggest problem where players always make mistakes that lead to red cards which in the end it hurts Barcelona.
If in this match they still cannot anticipate this, it could be a 4-1 massacre like in the final some time ago repeated again especially this is the Bernabeu which is quite haunted for several visiting clubs including for Barcelona.
Kick off is in a few hours and in terms of odds Madrid is still the favorite and I have no hesitation to burn my money on Madrid in this bet.