El Clasico XI: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo star in Real Madrid vs Barcelona combined team

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Real Madrid meet Barcelona in the first Clasico of the season on Saturday
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo set to lead their teams
Both squads are full of stars, but who would you pick in a combined team?
Sportsmail brings you a combined XI
Real Madrid vs Barcelona fans Q&A: Pique is hated and Modric will be key

Published: 06:50 EST, 20 November 2015 | Updated: 07:31 EST, 20 November 2015

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Between the two of them they have won the last two Champions Leagues, and their squads are almost unrivaled in world football.

But how good a team could you put together if you combined the first XIs of both Real Madrid and Barcelona? And which club would provide most players?

Ahead of their first meeting of the season, Sportsmail comes up with a Real Madrid vs Barcelona team, assuming everyone was fit to play.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo feature in our combined Clasico XI - but who joins them?

GK - Keylor Navas

Eighteen months ago, when he was a Levante player, few would have imagined that Keylor Navas would become one of the leading goalkeepers in the world. And yet, after a stunning few seasons, a stand-out World Cup, and Real's inability to close the deal for David de Gea, Navas is firmly first choice at the Bernabeu, and has kept 10 clean sheets already this season.

Keylor Navas trains ahead of Saturday's game, and has established himself as Real Madrid's No 1

RB - Danilo

Perhaps the weakest point in either of the two line-ups, with Dani Alves past his peak, Danilo not yet the established world class player he may well go on to become, and Dani Carvajal unable to cement his place ahead of the Brazilian. Danilo gets the nod for his attacking prowess - lets face it, this team is unlikely to concede possession all that much.

Brazilian full back Danilo is still far from the finished product, but he provides a real attacking threat

CB - Sergio Ramos

The experienced head at the heart of the Real Madrid defence, and still a key performer as Rafa Benitez builds a team that depends on stability rather than flair. In his 11 appearances for club and country this season, his teams have conceded just five goals - and three of those came in one game.

Under Rafa Benitez Sergio Ramos has helped Real Madrid build a water-tight defence

CB - Gerard Pique

On form, it is hard to leave out Rafael Varane, but Gerard Pique gets the nod in this team because of his class and experience. Another leader at centre half, has last two games have both resulted in clean sheets, and his international partnership with Ramos is tried and tested.

Gerard Pique, a veteran of 19 Clasicos, will be out to stop Real Madrid again on Saturday evening

LB - Jordi Alba

Still a more impressive player going forward than tracking back, but a superb full back for club and country, and gets the nod over Marcelo. The width he provides in attack is crucial to free up the forwards, who like to roam off the flanks.

Jordi Alba gestures during Barcelona training, and will provide an attacking option for his side on Saturday

CM - Ivan Rakitic

It seems odd to pick a Clasico team without a proper holding midfielder, but despite the undoubted qualities of Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic gets the nod in front of the back four. Not only the metronomic heart of his team, but also able to create chances out of nothing, and finish them off. Touted as the heir to Xavi at Barca, he has become a world class midfielder. His form this season has not been electric, but he still provides stability, creativity, and class.

Ivan Rakitic may not be in the best form of his life, but continues to be the heartbeat of the Barcelona side

CM - Toni Kroos

A straight shoot-out between Real Madrid's two wonderful midfielders Toni Kroos and Luka Modric - rather like a parent trying to think which child they love more. Kroos just gets the nod because of his three assists this season, to Modric's one.

Toni Kroos makes our team ahead of Luka Modric as the Real Madrid presence in the midfield trio

CM - Andres Iniesta

At the age of 31, Andres Iniesta may be on the decline... but no-one seems to have told him that! Still a vital part of the way Barcelona play, still creating chances, embarrassing defenders, and entertaining fans. James Rodriguez is a superb player, but he can't compare to the man who has won it all for club and country.

Andres Iniesta, at the age of 31, is still a creative dynamo in the Barcelona midfield

LW - Lionel Messi

His absence hasn't damaged Barcelona too much, but Lionel Messi is still the best player in the world by a distance. You could create any number of plausible best front threes from the six players at these two great clubs - but none of them would exclude Messi. His return from injury, as a starter or a substitute, could be the key factor in Saturday's showdown.

Lionel Messi is back in training and will hope to make an impact on El Clasico, even if only from the bench

CF - Cristiano Ronaldo

Don't take the positions too seriously - all three of these forwards are more than capable of moving around as a front three. Cristiano Ronaldo, by his own ridiculous standards, has been slightly off the pace this season, with 'only' 13 goals in 15 games, and rumours of disquiet in his relationship with Benitez. But with Messi and Neymar providing the magic, he is in this team to do what he does best. Finish. Love him or loathe him, no-one finds the back of the net like Ronaldo, wherever he starts.

Cristiano Ronaldo, without being at his absolute best this season, has scored 13 goals in 15 games for Real

ALTERNATIVE CLASICO XI

And the XI that didn't make it? They would still probably beat most teams in the world!:

Bravo; Alves, Mascherano, Varane, Marcelo; Busquets, Isco, James; Bale, Benzema, Suarez

RW - Neymar

In Messi's absence, Neymar has proven himself as a star in his own right. Five goals in his last three games - nine in eight since the Argentine was injured - have shown he can step out of the shadows when he is needed. Now being talked about by some as the second best player in the world, behind Messi but ahead of Ronaldo, and it is not hard to see why. If he can keep up his form when Messi comes back, it won't be long before, at the very least, the big two becomes a big three.