The football world will come to a halt on Saturday as all eyes will be on Spain for this season’s first edition of El Clásico between FC Barcelona and 
Real Madrid in La Liga.
Barcelona will travel to Madrid to renew the sport’s greatest rivalry at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in a battle between the top two teams in the La Liga standings.
FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid – Details | |
|---|---|
When | Saturday, Oct. 26 – 3PM ET / 12PM PT |
Where | Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid |
Where to Watch (USA) | ESPN+, ESPN Deportes |
Barca are in tremendous form, fresh off a huge 4-1 win over 
Bayern Munich in the 
UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, led by a Raphinha hat trick. The Blaugrana have won four in a row in all competitions, outscoring opponents 17-2 in that span.
Hansi Flick’s men trounced 
Sevilla 5-1 last weekend in the league, and currently sit at the top of the table with 27 points through 10 games. Star striker Robert Lewandowski leads the goalscoring race with 12, far ahead of Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe, who is in second place with six.
Los Blancos, meanwhile, had a memorable win of their own in the UCL this week, overcoming a 2-0 deficit to defeat 
Borussia Dortmund 5-2 on Tuesday, thanks to a hat trick from their own Brazilian sensation, Vinicius Jr.
Real find themselves three points behind their eternal rivals in the standings, and hope to draw level with Barcelona with a win on Saturday.
Madrid is also looking to make history, as the Galacticos are currently on a 42-game unbeaten run in La Liga, and could equal the record of 43 — set by Barcelona between 2017 and 2018 — with a draw or a win this weekend.
El Clásico Recent History
Real Madrid have won each of their last four meetings with FC Barcelona, doing the double over their rivals in the league last season and winning the duel at the Santiago Bernabéu 3-2 on their way to the La Liga title. The Merengues have not lost at home to the Catalans since March 2022.
El Clásico All-Time Stats | ||
|---|---|---|
Category | Real Madrid | FC Barcelona |
Wins | 105 | 100 |
Draws | 52 | 52 |
Home Wins | 68 | 64 |
Away Wins | 31 | 31 |
Goals | 433 | 419 |
FC Barcelona Lineup vs Real Madrid
Expect Flick to go with the same lineup he drew up for the test against Bayern in midweek.
Pau Cubarsí and Inigo Martinez will make up the centerback pairing once more as Barca waits on some key defenders to get healthy. Despite Frenkie de Jong’s return to the squad, Marc Casado will likely get the start alongside Pedri in the middle of the park, while Fermin Lopez should be selected as the more attacking midfielder once again, leaving Dani Olmo on the bench as he’s eased in to the squad following a lengthy injury spell.
Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski will look to continue their impressive run of form and terrorize Madrid’s defense.
Marc-André ter Stegen, Marc Bernal, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo and Ferran Torres remain unavailable for selection through injury.
FC Barcelona predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Inaki Pena (GK) – Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsí, Inigo Martinez, Alejandro Balde – Marc Casado, Pedri – Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Raphinha – Robert Lewandowski.
Real Madrid Lineup vs FC Barcelona
Carlo Ancelotti’s starting 11 should also be unchanged from the one that completed a dramatic comeback against Dortmund.
Jude Bellingham has returned to his familiar role as a shadow striker, and should roam behind the front two of Mbappé and Vinícius Jr. Federico Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni will likely complete Real’s young and athletic midfield unit.
Eder Militao and Antonio Rüdiger will hope to keep tabs on Barca’s ferocious attack, while backup keep Andriy Lunin will be forced in following another injury to starter Thibaut Courtois.
Dani Carvajal and David Alaba will not be among the squad as they recover from long-term injuries.
Real Madrid predicted lineup (4-4-2): Andriy Lunin (GK) – Lucas Vázquez, Eder Militao, Antonio Rüdiger, Ferland Mendy – Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham – Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappé.