Anthony Gordon and Trent Alexander-Arnold are set to face each other in El Clasico today as Barcelona take on Real Madrid. The two England internationals, formerly of Everton and Liverpool respectively, have experienced the Merseyside derby and will now clash in the Spanish showdown.
Gordon's Strong Start at Barcelona
It is Gordon's first match against Barcelona's Spanish rivals as they aim to maintain a 100 per cent winning start to the La Liga season. The 25-year-old has made a strong start to life at the Spotify Camp Nou with six goal contributions from 11 games.
Alexander-Arnold's debut campaign at Real has been hampered by injury, and his spell is yet to improve, with Jose Mourinho keeping him as an unused substitute for the last three games. Summer signing Denzel Dumfries and club captain Federico Valverde have largely been preferred to him at right-back.
The 2024 Transfer Saga
In a different universe, the duo could have been team-mates at Anfield, with Gordon very close to joining Liverpool in the summer of 2024. Newcastle were desperate to make sales before June 30 of that year to comply with profit and sustainability rules. Gordon was said to have been offered to his boyhood club Liverpool in a deal that could have seen Joe Gomez go the other way.
With the Magpies' financial woes well-known, the Gordon rumours gathered pace and soon became the big topic at England camp during the European Championships. He even confided in some of his Three Lions teammates, which prompted Alexander-Arnold to start singing, "he's coming home, he's coming home".
Southgate's Displeasure and Aftermath
Unsurprisingly, the situation left England boss Gareth Southgate far from pleased.
Ultimately, Gordon did not get his move to Liverpool, with Newcastle instead selling academy graduates Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson. Gordon stayed at St James' Park for the next two seasons before joining Barcelona in a £69million deal earlier this year.
El Clasico Expectations
Gordon is expected to start for the Catalan club against Mourinho's side despite Raphinha making his return from injury in Tuesday's Champions League six-goal thriller away to Paris Saint-Germain.
Real were also involved in a high-scoring fixture 24 hours later, with Kylian Mbappe and Yan Diomande among those on target in a 4-1 victory over RB Leipzig. Los Blancos will be hoping to take their Champions League form into the league this weekend and beat their bitter rivals. Alexander-Arnold will be eager to be a part of that while also getting one over on his national team-mate.
