Sergio Ramos has joined Real Madrid and Barcelona icons at the top of the all-time Clasico appearance list after being selected to appear in the 42nd of his career.
The 32-year-old has been named in Santiago Solari’s starting XI for another duel with the Blaugrana on Saturday.
An eagerly-anticipated contest at the Santiago Bernabeu forms the second of back-to-back meetings between two old adversaries.
Barca got the better of Madrid in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, with a 3-0 win in the second leg of a heavyweight semi-final carrying them a step closer to major silverware.
Ramos picked up a slight knock in that encounter, but was never going to miss a meeting with the men from Camp Nou,
He will once again skipper the Blancos when they go in search of Liga points on home soil.
The World Cup winner is well versed in such tussles, having locked horns with Barca on a regular basis down the years.
Real snapped him up from Sevilla in the summer of 2005 and he has been a fixture in their side ever since.
He is now set to face Barcelona for the 42nd time and edge ever closer to becoming the most prominent performer in Clasico clashes.
Only Xavi, Manolo Sanchis and Paco Gento can claim to have graced such occasions as many times as Ramos.
He has already faced arch-rivals on four occasions in league and cup competition this season, and there remains the potential for more clashes to come.
With Barca and Madrid still chasing down Champions League honours, their paths could cross in continental competition.
For now, though, it is domestic matters which are dominating the thoughts of both clubs.
Real need the points in their most recent meeting as they sit nine adrift of Barca in the Liga title race.
They have, however, not enjoyed the best of times against the Catalan outfit on home soil of late. Their last league victory over Barca at the Bernabeu came back in October 2014.
Over the course of Ramos’ Clasico career, he has only collected seven wins in front of the Madrid natives and suffered 16 defeats.
He can always be relied upon, though, to bring plenty of passion to the Blancos cause – with his record-breaking collection of red cards proving as much.
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