Barcelona defender Jeremy Mathieu has predicted "fireworks" if Luis Suarez plays alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar in Saturday's clasico at the Bernabeu.
Suarez joined Barca from Liverpool in an 80 million-euro deal in the summer, but has been unable to play competitive games because of the four-month ban imposed after he bit Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini while playing for Uruguay at the World Cup in Brazil.
The 27-year-old is being tipped to start the biggest club game of the European season so far, and Mathieu told AFP his new teammate "can do big things."
"On the pitch, in training, it shows that he is hungry and he wants to get started with Barcelona," the France international said.
"We don't know yet whether he will start, but Messi, Suarez and Neymar can hit a defence. We will see on the day -- but there could be fireworks."
Mathieu, 30, joined Barca from Valencia for 20 million euros in the summer, and admitted he had not expected to move to such a big club at that stage of his career.
"In my head I was resigned to staying at Valencia," he explained. "At my age, you don't expect Barcelona to come calling.
"When I arrived, some people criticised my age and the price paid by Barcelona. But it was not my decision. I am trying to prove my worth on the pitch. It is happening little by little -- I am winning my place, changing people's opinions."
Mathieu, likely to start in central defence alongside Javier Mascherano, said that it would be "like a dream" to be taking part in a fixture he had long watched on television.
But he added: "I never get stressed before a game. It's a match like any other, even if there are bigger issues. If you're not motivated in this kind of game, it is no use being on the pitch. It's a game not to lose, you know -- that's very motivating."
He warned that keeping his international colleague Karim Benzema quiet would be a big challenge, adding: "He moves around such a lot.
"The hardest part is that movement. For a defender, a player who plays between the lines is far harder to defend against. We must score but be careful on the break. He is very intelligent in his positioning."