PREVIEW | FC Barcelona v Real Madrid
FC Barcelona and Real Madrid go head to head at the Estadi Olimpic this Sunday at 4.15pm CEST, and if the Catalans can maintain their 100 per cent record against their biggest rivals this season, then they will be within touching distance of the Liga trophy.
They go into the game with a four-point lead over Real Madrid, and if that difference becomes seven, then a side that is unbeaten in the league in 2025 could even afford to lose two of their three remaining fixtures and still be assured of the title. A draw would be far less decisive, but all the same, Barça would be in a very powerful position.
Should Real Madrid win, however, then the gap closes to one point. And the last three games on the Barça fixture list are by no means gimmes. There's the derby away to Espanyol sandwiched between the visits of two teams battling for a place in the Champions League, Villarreal and Athletic Club. That's a reminder of how important this game is.
For those going to the game, there are several other major events happening on the Montjuic area this weekend, so it is important to bear in mind certain mobility recommendations.
Form guide
Things haven't been going so well for Real Madrid of late. They lost the Copa del Rey Final to Barça and their Champions League campaign crumbled when they lost 5-1 on aggregate to Arsenal. In La Liga, a 2-1 defeat at home to Valencia cost them dearly, although that is the only one of their last eight league games that they haven't won.
But winning has done them little good if Barça keep winning too. And the Catalans have been in incredible form, winning 13 of their last 14 games, only dropping points in the 1-1 draw with Real Betis. Having picked up the Copa del Rey along the way, it all felt too good to be true, but things came down to Earth with a bump last Tuesday, when they were eliminated from the Champions League in such agonising fashion by Inter Milan.
They've had a few days to recover both mentally and physically from that game... And will be buoyed by memories of some fantastic results in the Clásico matches already played this season.
Head to head
Even before the season had officially begun, Barça had one up on Madrid thanks to a 2-1 win at the MetLife Stadium, New Jersey on the US Tour. The came a simply staggering 4-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu (Lewandowski 2, Raphinha and Yamal) in the same week that Barça also put four goals past Bayern Munich... results that sent shockwaves throughout the football world.
To thump Madrid once in a season is one thing, to do it twice is out of this world. The Spanish Super Cup Final was another astonishingly one-side contest, Barça winning 5-2 (Yamal, Lewandowski, Raphinha 2 and Balde).
The Copa del Rey Final in Seville was a far closer contest, but Barça also won through. Despite trailing 2-1 with minutes to go, they managed to equalise and then won it in extra time, the goals scored by Pedri, Torres and Koundé.
But not all the stats are quite so positive. Real Madrid have actually won on four of their last five visits to Barcelona, including what was a very painful defeat for the Catalans in the league last season. After a brilliant first half, which should have left Barça comfortably ahead but didn't, Madrid somehow ended up winning 2-1.
Another negative stat from a Barça point of view is that the last two times that they led Real Madrid going into in a Clásico towards the end of the season, they not only lost the match but also missed out on the league title.That was in the Covid-hit 2020 season that Madrid ended up winning, and the 2021 edition that went to Atlético Madrid.
After losing every Clásico so far this season, and particularly gutted to have let the Copa del Rey Final slip away in the final minutes, Real Madrid will be especially motivated for this one, and also had the luxury of a full week to prepare. And although they have won the Intercontinental Cup and the European Super Cup this year, they are in danger of drawing a blank on the domestic front. This is their last chance, and they'll want to take it.
Travis Scott
As has become the tradition since FC Barcelona teamed up with Spotify, a game with Real Madrid is doubling as the chance to promote a music artist. This time is the turn of rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer Travis Scott, who has had five number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The player's Cactus Jack logo is appearing on a very unique shirt.
Pichichi battle
This game is also a fascinating clash between the two prime candidates for the Liga top scorer trophy. Robert Lewandowski is hoping to build on his 25 goals. And on the opposite team there's his main rival in the hunt, Kylian Mbappé, who is currently one behind on 24.
Team news
There was great news on Saturday. Both Alejandro Balde's hamstring problem and Marc Casadó's knee issue are things of the past and they're available for selection. That means Jules Kounde and Marc Bernal are the only definite absentees for Barça, although Robert Lewandowski might not start due to his recent return to match fitness (he came on as a substitute against Inter midweek), Iñigo Martinez took a knock in the same game and Pablo Torre has been having a minor difficulty with his knee for the last week or so.
Real Madrid have been battling with a number of fitness concerns of late, with none of Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao or Eduardo Camavinga likely to play again this season. Those are six very serious absentees. They were also missing Rodrygo to illness last week, but the word is that the Brazilian striker is feeling fine and should be lining up in the visiting attack on Sunday.
Hansi says
“The Clásico is hugely important, and the staff, players, and club all want to win it" said the Barça coach on Saturday. "We have the energy to get the victory. That’ll be our intention from the first whistle. We must show confidence ... We’re not thinking about the standings; that’s not our concern. The only thing that matters is winning.” FULL STORY HERE