The Uruguayan is finally available to play again after serving his ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini. But should the Catalans throw him straight into the deep end against Madrid?
 For once the big talking point ahead of a Clasico is not the eternal rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Instead it is the return from suspension of Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan signed for the Blaugrana from Liverpool in the summer for a mammoth €88 million. However, he has yet to play officially for his new side after he was banned from all football-related activities for four months for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.
This suspension, by a strange twist of fate, ends on Saturday when Barcelona travel to the Santiago Bernabeu to play bitter enemies Real Madrid in the Clasico.
Should Suarez be thrown straight into the deep end and make his debut against Carlo Ancelotti's men, or should Luis Enrique be more cautious and start the 27-year-old from the bench? Two of Goal's writers, Mark Doyle and Carlo Garganese, go head to head on the issue...

"MADRID CAN'T DOUBLE-UP ON MESSI IF SUAREZ STARTS"


Is he too fat to start? Will he bite anyone? Where will he fit in? ... It's fair to say that there are number of questions surrounding Luis Suarez's potential participation in Saturday's Clasico.
The most fundamental issue is obviously his fitness. After all, the striker has not played a competitive fixture since June 24. However, Suarez has racked up 150 minutes of game time in the last month during two Uruguay friendlies, netting twice in the 3-0 win over Oman, and the former Liverpool forward insists that he is now 100 per cent fit.
Suarez would offer an added element of unpredictability to an attack that is already proving close to impossible to contain, with Lionel Messi and Neymar finally working in perfect harmony together.
Furthermore, Suarez is, as Dani Alves pointed out recently, "a pest", so even if he exhibits some signs of rustiness, the 27-year-old would still drive Madrid's defenders to distraction with his incessant hassling, harrying and histrionics.
Besides, with Munir too inexperienced for a game of this magnitude, the only other viable alternative in attack is Pedro, who has not started the current campaign well at all. In addition, the latter does not carry anything like the same threat as Suarez, who, as he proved last season with Liverpool, is capable of deciding games all on his own. Just like Neymar. And just like Messi, who ahead of the Clasico described Suarez as "a great forward who will give a lot to Barcelona".
Essentially, by starting with Suarez, Barca would have three proven match-winners capable of playing in every position across the frontline, meaning Madrid simply could not entertain the idea of doubling up on Messi, as it would merely create space for his fellow South Americans.
Ultimately, the question that matters is: will Madrid will want to see Suarez's name on the teamsheet on Saturday? The answer is an unequivocal no. For that reason, the decision over whether to start Suarez is an absolute no-brainer. 

"STARTING SUAREZ COULD COME BACK TO BITE BARCA"


By Carlo Garganese
There is no doubt that Luis Suarez is one of the best players in the world and will go on to be a brilliant signing for Barcelona. But for Luis Enrique to hand him his full debut in the Clasico would be reckless and irresponsible.
This is someone who has not played any competitive football since appearing twice at the World Cup in June. He was rushed back for these games by Uruguay after undergoing surgery to repair meniscus damage in his knee. Despite scoring twice against England before helping eliminate Italy, Suarez even admitted himself that he "was on the limits of his physical capacity".

Real Madrid are a completely different proposition to two of the worst England and Italy teams in history. Training and friendly matches against sub-standard sides will not prepare Suarez for a superpower that have won eight games on the bounce, scoring 35 goals in the process.

A number of top clubs have already paid the price this season for fielding unfit or unready players. Juventus have struggled since the return from injury of Andrea Pirlo, Liverpool threw newboy Mario Balotelli straight into the starting XI and he has scored just one goal in 10 games, while even Madrid initially dropped points as they tried to immediately accommodate summer signings Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez.

Unlike Uruguay, Barcelona don't need to take a risk with Suarez. Their domestic form has been almost perfect and they are yet to concede a league goal this season. For the first time, Neymar is beginning to gel with Lionel Messi. It would be unwise to disrupt the harmony.

Madrid, already five points behind their pacesetting rivals, are the chasers who need to make the first move in the Clasico. Suarez is the perfect man for Barcelona to have on the bench, the ace up their sleeve who can change the game in the last 30 minutes. He is the ideal clutch-player, but starting him could come back to bite Barca.