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)
Easy methods to comply with: We’ll have all of the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 1:15pm (11:15 GMT) prematurely 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 helpful 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 tip of Carlo Ancelotti’s reign.
The Italian’s alternative, Xabi Alonso, has began effectively, 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 type forward of El Clasico?
Madrid have some doubts round them concerning their efficiency in large matches, having misplaced in opposition to Paris Saint-Germain within the Membership World Cup semifinals this summer season 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 considerations whereas Flick’s Barca are but to achieve the identical stage they managed final season.
What’s Mbappe’s type 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, during which Jude Bellingham netted the one aim.
The 26-year-old has scored 10 of Madrid’s 20 La Liga targets, main Spain’s scoring charts, and has 15 for his membership throughout all competitions, totalling 54 p.c of their targets.
“We’re not depending on him,” Alonso mentioned final week, though the statistics recommend in any other case.
“We’re very comfortable along with his efficiency. He’s being decisive.”
Why was final season so tough for Mbappe at Actual Madrid?
Mbappe struggled for confidence and type in his early days at Madrid along with his first Clasico an enormous disappointment.
Precisely a yr 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 famous person’s wrestle to beat the Catalans’ excessive line of defense in his first outing in opposition to them for Madrid.
Mbappe had one aim disallowed for offside and was caught offside eight instances in complete. The ahead was “shrunken and with out venom”, the Spanish newspaper AS wrote.
“It’s time to vary my scenario and present who I’m as a participant,” Mbappe pledged just a few weeks later as Madrid continued to hunch.
By the point Mbappe subsequent confronted Barcelona within the Spanish Tremendous Cup remaining in January, he had clicked into the next 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 stream, 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 yr… 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 type 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 effectively,” Alonso defined.
With Barcelona struggling badly in defence firstly 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 mentioned on Saturday, nonetheless, that the furore created may go the best way of the teen.
“Lamine is a high participant, and I feel [the criticism] will likely be motivating for him,” Marcus Sorg, Flick’s assistant, mentioned at a information convention.
“I hope all of us see him [give] the most effective efficiency.”
The 18-year-old Spain worldwide will likely be up in opposition to Madrid left again Alvaro Carreras, whom he struggled in opposition to at instances 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 communicate earlier than El Clasico?
Flick is suspended for the sport after a crimson card final weekend throughout the win over Girona, and Sorg is taking up duties on the touchline.
“Truthfully, Hansi is lacking at all times if he’s not there as a result of he’s an important a part of the staff,” Sorg mentioned.
“It’s an obstacle in fact, [but] it’s the identical as [missing] gamers. We’ve 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 will likely 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’ve sufficient gamers and should take care of it,” Sorg mentioned.
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 attributable to muscle and groin accidents.
Barcelona staff information
Frenkie de Jong has returned from sickness, however Jules Kounde is a doubt attributable to a slight knock.
Raphinha’s hamstring harm is preserving 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
