Who: Actual Madrid vs Barcelona
What: El Clasico in Spain’s La Liga
The place: Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain
When: Sunday at 4:15pm (14:15 GMT)
How one can comply with: We’ll have all of the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 1:15pm (11:15 GMT) upfront of our reside textual content commentary stream.
Final season, Barcelona romped to 4 Clasico victories over Actual Madrid, however led by in-form striker Kylian Mbappe, Los Blancos are aiming to redress the stability on Sunday in La Liga.
Really useful Tales
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Hansi Flick’s facet gained a home treble, beating Madrid twice in La Liga and within the Copa del Rey and Spanish Tremendous Cup finals, precipitating the top of Carlo Ancelotti’s reign.
The Italian’s substitute, Xabi Alonso, has began properly, and Madrid lead Barcelona by two factors on the high of the desk going into the conflict on the Santiago Bernabeu.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a have a look at the primary Clasico of the season.
What’s Actual Madrid’s kind forward of El Clasico?
Madrid have some doubts round them concerning their efficiency in huge matches, having misplaced in opposition to Paris Saint-Germain within the Membership World Cup semifinals this summer time after which struggling a 5-2 thrashing by Atletico Madrid in a derby in September.
A victory in El Clasico would open up a five-point hole on their rivals and ease these issues whereas Flick’s Barca are but to succeed in the identical stage they managed final season.
What’s Mbappe’s kind like for Actual Madrid?
Regardless of the doubts about Madrid’s credentials, Mbappe has hit new heights within the present marketing campaign after ending the earlier marketing campaign strongly.
Mbappe had scored in all 11 of his earlier matches for membership and nation earlier than Wednesday’s Champions League win against Juventus, wherein Jude Bellingham netted the one objective.
The 26-year-old has scored 10 of Madrid’s 20 La Liga objectives, main Spain’s scoring charts, and has 15 for his membership throughout all competitions, totalling 54 % of their objectives.
“We’re not depending on him,” Alonso stated final week, though the statistics counsel in any other case.
“We’re very glad along with his efficiency. He’s being decisive.”
Why was final season so troublesome for Mbappe at Actual Madrid?
Mbappe struggled for confidence and kind in his early days at Madrid along with his first Clasico an enormous disappointment.
Precisely a 12 months earlier than this weekend’s Clasico, Barcelona visited the Bernabeu and got here away with a 4-0 victory, a match notable for the French celebrity’s battle to beat the Catalans’ excessive defensive position in his first outing in opposition to them for Madrid.
Mbappe had one objective disallowed for offside and was caught offside eight occasions in complete. The ahead was “shrunken and with out venom”, the Spanish newspaper AS wrote.
“It’s time to alter my state of affairs and present who I’m as a participant,” Mbappe pledged a number of weeks later as Madrid continued to droop.
By the point Mbappe subsequent confronted Barcelona within the Spanish Tremendous Cup remaining in January, he had clicked into a better gear.
Madrid have been dismantled 5-2, however Mbappe discovered the web, as he did of their far tighter 3-2 Copa del Rey final defeat.
In Might Mbappe, now in full move, hit a hat-trick in opposition to Barcelona, however Los Blancos nonetheless fell 4-3 on the Olympic stadium as Flick’s facet just about wrapped up the league title.
This time final 12 months… pic.twitter.com/QCXkedaq5K
— LALIGA English (@LaLigaEN) October 24, 2025
What else is making Actual Madrid tick earlier than Barcelona conflict?
This season, Turkish playmaker Arda Guler has began to kind a robust reference to Mbappe, having a knack for recognizing the ahead’s bursts behind the defence.
“Arda will get between the traces, and there he finds Mbappe properly,” Alonso defined.
With Barcelona struggling badly in defence at first of the present marketing campaign, Madrid are assured Mbappe will be capable to get in behind to devastating impact on Sunday.
Why has Barcelona’s Yamal been within the headlines with Actual Madrid?
Teenage winger Lamine Yamal has been within the highlight within the Spanish capital after joking throughout an look on a social media stream that Actual Madrid “steal” and “complain”.
Barcelona’s assistant coach stated on Saturday, nonetheless, that the furore created may go the best way of the teenager.
“Lamine is a high participant, and I feel [the criticism] might be motivating for him,” Marcus Sorg, Flick’s assistant, stated at a information convention.
“I hope all of us see him [give] the perfect efficiency.”
The 18-year-old Spain worldwide might be up in opposition to Madrid left again Alvaro Carreras, whom he struggled in opposition to at occasions final season for Benfica on three events they confronted Barcelona within the Champions League.
“Lamine is at all times motivated, and if I keep in mind proper, we gained all three video games in opposition to Benfica,” Sorg famous.
Why did Flick not converse earlier than El Clasico?
Flick is suspended for the sport after a pink card final weekend in the course of the win over Girona, and Sorg is taking up duties on the touchline.
“Actually, Hansi is lacking at all times if he isn’t there as a result of he’s crucial a part of the staff,” Sorg stated.
“It’s a drawback in fact, [but] it’s the identical as [missing] gamers. We now have to take care of it. Everybody is aware of what he expects, and I feel we are going to do it.”
Will Barcelona’s Raphinha be again for El Clasico?
Barcelona might be with out winger Raphinha, who has suffered a setback in his return from a hamstring harm.
“Raphinha – each staff would miss him, however it’s how it’s. We now have sufficient gamers and should take care of it,” Sorg stated.
Head-to-head
That is the 262nd Clasico with Actual claiming 105 wins and Barcelona taking the spoils on 104 events.
Actual Madrid staff information
Actual Madrid hope to welcome again Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal, Dani Ceballos and Dean Huijsen. Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba are out as a result of muscle and groin accidents.
Barcelona staff information
Frenkie de Jong has returned from sickness, however Jules Kounde is a doubt as a result of a slight knock.
Raphinha’s hamstring harm is maintaining him sidelined whereas Joan Garcia, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo are all confirmed absentees.
Actual Madrid predicted beginning lineup
Courtois; Valverde, Militao, Asencio, Carreras; Guler, Tchouameni, Bellingham; Mastantuono, Mbappe, Vinicius
Barcelona predicted beginning lineup
Szczesny; E Garcia, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde; Pedri, de Jong; Yamal, Fermin, Rashford; Ferran
