Barcelona vs Real Madrid: La Liga – El Clasico preview, predictions, teams

Who: Barcelona vs Real Madrid
What: La Liga, El Clasico
Where: Camp Nou successful Barcelona, Spain
When: Sunday astatine 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport volition bring you each the build-up and unrecorded updates from 17:00 GMT.

For weeks La Liga leaders Barcelona person been eagerly awaiting Sunday’s El Clasico arsenic a accidental to agelong the spread betwixt themselves and rivals Real Madrid to a monolithic 9 points.

Some turbulence successful the last attack to the clash astatine Camp Nou has analyzable the representation for Hansi Flick’s Spanish champions, who suffered their archetypal decision of the play astatine Paris Saint-Germain successful the Champions League connected Tuesday.

By contrast, Real Madrid person won 4 consecutive matches, thrashing RB Leipzig connected Wednesday and starting to look, for the archetypal clip since Jose Mourinho’s accomplishment this summer, similar a team.

Should Real travel distant with a win, it would not lone halve the existent six-point gap, but ⁠provide a much-needed assurance boost for a broadside that has mislaid six of the past 7 Clasicos.

Mourinho’s instrumentality to the fixture volition pull the astir attraction of all.

Mourinho acceptable for 18th El Clasico

The ⁠63-year-old is simply a seasoned of 27 matches against Barcelona and 17 El Clasicos connected ⁠the Real bench.

Real Madrid President Florentino Perez archetypal appointed Mourinho arsenic manager successful 2010 to vie with Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, and helium volition anticipation the Portuguese tin wrest the La Liga rubric backmost to the Bernabeu for a 2nd time.

Mourinho’s archetypal spell astatine Real coincided with arguably the astir heated encounters successful ‌the modern history of El Clasico, and determination volition beryllium numerous cameras trained connected his each determination astatine Camp Nou connected Sunday.

The Portuguese manager won conscionable erstwhile successful his archetypal 10 El Clasicos but went unbeaten successful his last 5 games ‌against ‌Barcelona, signaling 3 victories.

Mourinho during Madrid’s Champions League crippled against Roma connected October 14, 2026 [Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters]

Unfair to comparison america with Barca, Mourinho says

Flick’s Barca person won back-to-back La Liga titles and pb the apical flight, successful which they are unbeaten, portion Mourinho arrived this summertime aft Madrid went 2 seasons without a large trophy.

Mourinho highlighted that helium has been astatine the helm lone a fewer months successful examination with Flick, who arrived astatine Barca successful 2024.

“People look astatine america similar a finished product, but finished products successful shot are hard due to the fact that they are ne'er finished, … but they look astatine america similar we’re successful an precocious signifier of the process,” Mourinho continued.

“We’ve been moving for 3 months. Out of that you tin instrumentality preseason erstwhile the players were arriving [back from the World Cup] and the caller planetary break. Then we’ve been unneurotic a month-and-a-half, 2 months.

“This is the commencement of a product. We’re successful an archetypal signifier wherever the manager is learning, analysing, spot by spot defining paths. The players are learning astir the coach. … Comparing a squad successful this authorities [to much established sides], I deliberation is unfair.”

Flick praises Mourinho earlier clash

The German manager said helium expected a Madrid broadside arriving with “a batch of confidence” and praised Mourinho.

“I person the highest respect. When you’re managing teams connected this level for truthful galore years and you ever person success, it’s astir quality. He showed this astatine each club,” Flick told reporters.

“Every subordinate from the [German] nationalist squad who worked nether him speaks with a large respect. I deliberation the same. He’s a colleague, a very, precise palmy workfellow and a large colleague.”

Flick said the 4-2 decision successful Paris by PSG connected Tuesday gave his squad immoderate clues arsenic to wherever they request to improve.

“We analysed this game. We did galore things truly good, but we saw immoderate situations wherever we person to improve,” Flick said.

“We person to turn arsenic a team. Tomorrow we play against 1 of the champion teams successful the world, truthful it’s a bully accidental to grow, to situation ourselves, to amended ourselves and to turn arsenic a team.”

Managers connected ‘incredible’, ‘unique’ El Clasico

Flick: “El Clasico is different. It is the champion lucifer successful our sport, and everyone volition ticker it. It is incredible. It is existent that we are playing for conscionable 3 points, but the value of the lucifer goes acold beyond that.”

Mourinho: “We’ve been successful a bully dynamic, winning games, playing well, scoring goals, but successful El Clasico, it doesn’t substance what you did before. It has nary influence. El Clasico is unique. Normally, the shot satellite stops to ticker it. Hopefully, it’s a large crippled and we win.”

How person Barcelona played this season?

Barcelona person a cleanable grounds successful La Liga with 9 wins from 9 games. They are 5 points wide astatine the apical of the standings.

Their lone decision successful each competitions this play came successful the past match, successful which they fell 4-2 to rubric holders PSG successful the Champions League league phase.

How person Real Madrid played this season?

Real are 3rd successful the La Liga points table, six points down leaders and rivals Barca.

They person won 7 league games but lost to Atletico Madrid and Real Betis.

However, Real person made a cleanable commencement successful the UCL, registering 2 wins successful arsenic galore matches.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Predictions

Opta’s supercomputer has fixed Barcelona a 54.4 percent accidental of winning this Clasico portion Real person a 26.1 percent probability. There are 19.5 percent likelihood of a draw.

Overall, Barca are fixed a 77.93 percent accidental of retaining the rubric this play with Real tipped to decorativeness 2nd and Atletico third.

Barcelona’s Yamal scores past PSG’s goalkeeper Matvey Safonov [AFP]

Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Head-to-head

• Matches: 264
• Barcelona wins: 106
• Real wins: 106
• Draws: 52

Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Form guide

Barcelona: L-W-W-W-W

Real Madrid: W-W-W-W-L

Where tin I ticker Barcelona vs Real Madrid?

• Spain: Movistar, DAZN
• Middle East and North Africa: beIN SPORTS
• South Africa: SportyTV, DAZN
• India: FanCode
• United Kingdom: Disney+, Premier Sports
• United States: ESPN, ESPN+

Barcelona’s squad news

Midfielder Dani Olmo volition miss the Clasico aft being ruled retired for astir a period with a thigh injury.

Other names already connected the wounded database are Jules Kounde (ankle), Eric Garcia (thigh), Andreas Christensen (thigh) and Roony Bardghji (knee).

Predicted starting XI:

Joan Garcia (goalkeeper); Xavi Espart, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Joao Cancelo; Marc Bernal, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Anthony Gordon; Raphinha

Real Madrid’s squad news

Vincius Jr volition miss the crippled owed to a suspension portion Raul Asencio (leg) and Rodrygo (knee) are some injured.

Predicted starting XI:

Thibaut Courtois (goalkeeper); Federico Valverde, Antonio Rudiger, Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras; Bernardo Silva, Eduardo Camavinga; Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham, Yan Diomande, Kylian Mbappe