PREVIEW: FC Barcelona v Real Madrid
After being postponed earlier in the season, both teams are more than ready for another El Clásico battle which could see Barça emerge as outright leaders should they get the three points on Wednesday night.
Heading into the match, there’s nothing to choose between the two teams, who are locked together on 35 points at the top of the table, four ahead of their nearest pursuers, Sevilla.
How to follow the game live
The game kicks off at 8.00pm CET. A list of broadcasters can be found here and these are the timetables for the rest of the world:
The Rival
Coach: Zinedine Zidane
Top scorer: Karim Benzema - 16 goals (12 in LaLiga and 4 in the Champions League)
LaLiga record (2019/20): 35 points. 10W, 5D and 1L.
Current form
#1 Barça — D W W W W
#2 Real Madrid — D W W W W
The Precedents
Real Madrid 0-1 FC Barcelona
LaLiga 2018/19 – Santiago Bernabéu
Real Madrid 0-3 FC Barcelona
Copa del Rey 2018/19 – Santiago Bernabéu
FC Barcelona 1-1 Real Madrid
Copa del Rey 2018/19 – Camp Nou
FC Barcelona 5-1 Real Madrid
LaLiga 2018/19 – Camp Nou
FC Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid
LaLiga 2017/18 – Camp Nou
Reial Madrid 0-3 FC Barcelona
LaLiga 2017/18 – Santiago Bernabéu
The last time that the two teams met was back in March, when an Ivan Rakitic goal was the difference between the two teams at the Santiago Bernabéu.
It meant a league double for Barça after they’d beaten Real Madrid by an emphatic 5-1 scoreline last October, a match most notable for Luis Suárez’s hat-trick and Lionel Messi’s absence.
The lead up to El Clásico
Interesting Stats
- Barça have scored in each of their last 23 LaLiga games against Real Madrid (54 goals in total), the best run of any side in the fixture, and surpassing Real’s run of 22 games between 1959 and 1969.
- Barça are one goal away from reaching 400 goals in El Clásico history, and four away from equalling Real Madrid (403).
- Real Madrid have scored on each of their last 15 visits to Camp Nou in all competitions (26 goals in total), the best run away from home in El Clásico history.
- Real Madrid haven’t beaten Barça in six LaLiga games (D2 L4), just one shy of their worst ever run in the fixture.
- Lionel Messi has failed to score against Real Madrid in his last three games in all competitions, but he’s never gone four games without scoring against them.
- Sergio Ramos will be the player with the most El Clásico appearances (43) in history should he play on Wednesday night.
- Barça could record more league wins in the fixture than Real Madrid for the first time in their history. Both are currently on 72 wins each.
- Antoine Griezmann could become the first player to score for both Barça and Atlético Madrid against Real Madrid in the 21st century.
- Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has conceded 20 goals in eight LaLiga games against Barça, more than against any other opponent in his top-flight career (LaLiga & Premier League). The Belgian has conceded the same number of goals (six) than the saves he’s made (six) in his two Clasicos.
- Ernesto Valverde could equal the longest unbeaten run of any Barça manager in El Clasico in all competitions (P6 W4 D2 L0), registered by Pep Guardiola between April 2011 and January 2012 (P7 W4 D3 L0).
- Zinedine Zidane is unbeaten in his four managerial games at Camp Nou in all competitions (W2 D2), and he could be the first Real Madrid manager to remain unbeaten in five away Clasicos.
The Squads
Ernesto Valverde named his squad after training on Tuesday evening. The 18 players selected are: Ter Stegen, N. Semedo, Piqué, I. Rakitic, Sergio, Suárez, Messi, Neto, Lenglet, Griezmann, Jordi Alba, Aleñá, S. Roberto, F. De Jong, Vidal, Umtiti, C. Pérez and Ansu Fati.
Arthur and O. Dembélé are injured, while Todibo, M. Wague and Junior are left out by technical decision.
Zidane has decided to call up a total of 19 players: Courtois, Areola, Altube, Carvajal, Militão, Ramos, Varane, Nacho, Mendy, Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Valverde, Isco, Benzema, Bale, Jovic, Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo. Odriozola, Brahim and Mariano are left out by technical decision.
