Lahadi mai zuwa, Nou Camp zai karbi El Clasico — kuma 'yan wasa biyu da suka girma a nisan mil kaɗan daga juna a Merseyside na iya samun kansu a bangarori mabambanta na babbar hamayya ta kulob din kwallon kafa a duniya.

Trent Alexander-Arnold da Anthony Gordon an haife su a West Derby da Norris Green bi da bi, kuma dukkansu sun shiga makarantar Liverpool tun suna ƙanana. Hanyoyinsu sun rabu tun da daɗewa — an sake Gordon daga Liverpool kafin ya tashi a Everton, inda suka fuskanci juna a karon farko a Derby na Merseyside a watan Yuni 2020. Yanzu, lauyoyin Real Madrid da Barcelona sun raba su, kuma ayyukansu suna ba da labarai biyu mabambanta sosai.

Kakar farko mai wahala ta Alexander-Arnold a Madrid

El Clasico tana da ma'ana ta musamman ga Alexander-Arnold: tana faɗuwa kusan daidai da cika shekara 10 na fitowarsa ta farko tare da Liverpool, a wasan Carabao Cup da Tottenham Hotspur a watan Oktoba 2016. Ya sake fasalin matsayin mai tsaron dama a ƙarƙashin Jurgen Klopp ta hanyar haɗa hangen nesa na musamman, faɗin wucewa, da fasahar ƙwallon da ba ya motsi — ya zama ɗaya daga cikin mafi kyawun masu tsaro a zamaninsa. Kofuna shida na babban matakin da lambobin taimako na biyu a kusan kowane kakar tsakanin 2018/19 da 2023/24 suna nuna tasirin da ya yi a Anfield.

Tafiyarsa zuwa Real Madrid a lokacin bazara na 2025 — wanda ya haifar da busa daga wani ɓangare na magoya bayan Liverpool a lokacin daidaito da Arsenal — ana tsammanin zai zama kololuwar aikinsa. A maimakon haka, ya zama mai tashin hankali. Raunuka biyu daban-daban a tsokoki bayan gwiwa da cinya sun sa shi ya rasa watanni huɗu a kakarsa ta farko, kuma lokacin da ya warke ya kasa yin tasiri a cikin ƙungiyar da ta ƙare kakar ba tare da kowane kambun ba. Canjin koci a tsakiyar kakar daga Xabi Alonso zuwa Alvaro Arbeloa bai taimaka wa halinsa ba.

Matsalolin suna ci gaba a wannan kakar. Alexander-Arnold ya zauna a benci ba tare da shiga ba a cikin kashi na Real Madrid a Derby na La Liga da Atletico Madrid watan da ya wuce, da kuma a nasara ta UEFA Champions League kan Roma a ranar Laraba, inda koci Jose Mourinho ya fi son ɗan kwalliya na lokacin bazara Denzel Dumfries. Ya kuma rasa jerin sunayen England na FIFA Kofin Duniya 2026 gaba ɗaya kuma an sake kiransa a cikin Three Lions ne kawai don wasannin UEFA Nations League na kwanan nan — sake kiransa da ya dogara fiye da raunukan Reece James da Tino Livramento fiye da amincin Mourinho a gare shi. Jarell Quansah ya fara mafi muhimmancin wasan England na taga ta ƙasashen duniya, da Spain.

Yana da shekara 28, Alexander-Arnold yanzu yana ƙasan tsarin England fiye da yadda yake a Liverpool — yanayi mai ban mamaki ga ɗan wasa da irin ikonsa. Babu tabbas ko zai fita filin wasa a Nou Camp ranar Lahadi.

Gordon yana yin fice a Barcelona

Bambanci da Gordon ba zai iya zama a bayyane ba. An ɗaga gira lokacin da Barcelona ta biya £69.3 miliyan a wannan bazara don ɗan wasan ɗan shekara 25 — bayan shekara uku da rabi na jan hankali a Newcastle United bayan tafiyarsa daga Everton a watan Janairu 2023. Tun daga lokacin ya toshe waɗanda suka yi shakka da iko.

Gordon ya fara wasanni biyar na England a Kofin Duniya kuma ya ci kwallo a kashi na wasan ƙwararru da Argentina. Daga nan ya sanar da kasancewarsa a Barcelona ta hanyar ba da taimako biyu yana shiga daga benci a fitowarsa ta farko da Elche, kafin ya ci ƙwallonsa ta farko don kulob din a nasarori kan Getafe da Galatasaray a cikin kwanaki takwas da suka wuce. Buga wasa tare da Lamine Yamal da Rodri mako bayan mako bai dame shi kaɗan ba.

Kasancewarsa tare da England ba ya ɓaci daga kyau. Ya ci kwallo a wasanni uku a jere a lokacin taga ta ƙasashen duniya kuma ya ba da taimako na farko da Czechia. Gordon yana nuna ƴar girman kai sabon da ya fito daga sanye da rigunan Barcelona.

Alexander-Arnold a gaba-gaba

Dukkan 'yan wasan biyu suna fuskantar kakar da ke ƙayyade makomar su, amma haɗarin yana da bambanci. Gordon ya kama daminsa a ɗaya daga cikin manyan kulob din duniya, kuma idan ya ci gaba da wannan matakin a duk cikin kakar, zai kafa kansa a cikin mafi kyawun fikafikan kwallon kafa ta duniya.

Alexander-Arnold, mai hazaƙa ba tare da wata shakka ba, yana fuskantar tambaya mai gaggawa. Wata kakar rashin daidaito a Real Madrid zai ƙara damuwa cewa barin Liverpool wata kuskure ce. Wasu masu kallo sun lura da ban mamaki cewa salon wasan nasa — haɗin kai mai laushi, wucewa mai ci gaba, da basira mai farmaki — mai yiwuwa ya dace da tsarin Barcelona fiye da na Madrid. A maimakon haka, Lahadi mai zuwa zai kasance a gefe na kishiyar Gordon a Nou Camp, kuma abin da zai faru a wannan dare na iya gaya mana da yawa game da inda ayyukansu biyu suke nufi.