There is nothing like The Classic. Whenever Real Madrid and Barcelona meet, there is no bigger match anywhere else in world football.
Sunday's clash at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (streamed LIVE on ESPN+ in the US) will be no different. Defending LaLiga champions Barcelona arrive in the Spanish capital two points behind their bitter rivals at the top of the table.
Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, a legendary midfielder who won LaLiga and the UEFA Champions League during his five years as a Madrid player The WhitesHe will experience his first clash against Barcelona from the bench. He will do so with star striker Kylian Mbappé in top form.
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Barça coach Hansi Flick swept Madrid last season, winning all four games in his first season in charge. Young phenom Lamine Yamal was among the stars during those victories, and could once again be a match-winner in Madrid.
ESPN's Alex Kirkland and Sam Marsden review form, all-time matchups, latest team news and key matchups ahead of the 262nd edition of The Classic.
Head to head of all time: Barça can tie with a victory
Historically, Real Madrid has maintained an advantage most of the time in its head-to-head meetings with Barcelona, dating back to the 1930s. Since then, both clubs have had periods of sustained dominance in meetings with their rivals: Madrid in the 1960s and Barça in the 1970s and 1980s. But the balance began to change in the last 20 years, as Madrid's advantage in head-to-head meetings became reduced, starting with the Pep Guardiola era at Barça. Madrid recorded just one win in 14 matches in all competitions between 2008 and 2012, a period that included legendary 6-2 and 5-0 victories in Guardiola's team's match, as well as a UEFA Champions League semi-final triumph.
Since then, the situation has been more even: Barça was undefeated in seven Classics from 2017 to 2019, before Madrid went six unbeaten runs between 2019 and 2022, but Barça's four wins last season leave them on the verge of matching Madrid in head-to-head matches of all time. -Kirkland
What happened last season?
Barcelona, somewhat unexpectedly, dominated Madrid last season. There was uncertainty surrounding the Blaugrana at the start of the campaign, and no one was really sure how new manager Flick would fare with a young team. Madrid, for its part, after winning LaLiga and the Champions League, had added Kylian Mbappé to its squad.
But as is often the case in this match, logic does not No prevail. Barça were excellent in attack, racking up 16 goals in four wins against Madrid, winning both league matches en route to the title, as well as final victories in the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. At times it seemed like they could score at will, especially in the final. Classic of the season, which effectively won the league title. After Mbappé gave Madrid a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes, Barça responded with four unanswered goals before the break.
That was largely the theme of Barça's victories: lots of goals in short bursts. They also scored four in the second half at the Bernabéu last October, and four in the first half in the 5-2 Super Cup victory in January. Barça finished 16-7 on aggregate over four fascinating and tremendously entertaining games. Barça now aspires to win five consecutive editions of the Classic for the second time in the club's history: 2008-10, under Guardiola, was the only other time. –Marsden
1:54
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How are you doing this season?
REAL MADRID
The feeling is that Madrid has improved compared to last season, but it is still a work in progress. There has been a notable change in the way the team plays out of possession (with more intensity, pressing high to win the ball back and a more cohesive defensive shape), while the other big advantage has been the sensational form of Mbappé, who has scored in 10 of his 11 club games this season. Vinícius Júnior is approaching his best form and, although the midfield has yet to fully solidify, Arda Güler is now a valuable creative influence, having provided five assists for Mbappé this campaign.
Madrid's record in LaLiga is impressive, with eight wins out of nine, but the game they did not win was a 5-2 against Atlético de Madrid. And there is still the nagging feeling that in the “big” games – the Madrid derby and the FIFA Club World Cup semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain in the summer – Alonso's team has suffered from stage fright. -Kirkland
BARCELONA
Flick has acknowledged that Barcelona have yet to reach the heights of last season. He has lamented poor positioning and a drop in pressure intensity as two of the most important factors in the team's downfall. Injuries have also played a role, with Raphinha, Yamal, Fermín López, Gavi, Joan García, Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski among those who were out for parts of the season. That said, the results haven't been too bad. They have won two of three games in the Champions League, losing only to Paris Saint-Germain by a late goal, and are just two points behind leaders Madrid in LaLiga.
Performances have not always been so encouraging. Rayo Vallecano could have beaten them earlier in the season, Sevilla scored four against them and Girona arguably should have picked up at least a point last weekend. But achieving a late win against Girona and then defeating Olympiacos 6-1 in midweek will give the players a confidence boost heading into Madrid. Lopez is back and looking good, Yamal has featured in the last two games after recovering from a groin problem and Marcus Rashford has settled in well. –Marsden
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Both teams have several injury doubts. What's the latest?
REAL MADRID
There is optimism that Madrid's right-back problems (where Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal have been injured and Federico Valverde has been reluctantly drafted in) will be resolved soon, with Alexander-Arnold and Carvajal pushing for a return in time for the Classic. On the other side of the defence, Ferland Mendy is also approaching his full form, although the Classic It could come too soon for him, and Alvaro Carreras is the starter at left back anyway.
In central defence, Dean Huijsen should be available to partner Éder Militão as Antonio Rüdiger is expected to be out until December, and David Alaba was substituted at half-time against Getafe last weekend as a precautionary measure. In midfield, Dani Ceballos has a muscle problem and will hardly be able to face Barça. -Kirkland
BARCELONA
Joan García, Marc-André ter Stegen, Gavi, Olmo and Lewandowski will not take part in the game, and a source told ESPN that Raphinha will also miss after suffering a setback on his return with a hamstring injury. But there is some positive news for Barça: Yamal and López returned to action last weekend, with the latter scoring an impressive hat-trick with his weaker left foot against Olympiacos. Ferran Torres returned to the bench against the Greek team. Although he didn't play, he should be ready this weekend. –Marsden
Key shocks
Kylian Mbappé vs. Barcelona's high line: Who can forget the last time these two teams met at the Bernabéu, almost exactly a year ago? Barcelona ended up winning the game 4-0, but all four goals came in the second half. Before the break, the story could have been very different, as Madrid went toe-to-toe with Barça, but Mbappé was caught offside six times (his total of eight appearances was a career-high) and failed to make the breakthrough.
Since then, a lot has changed: Mbappé seems like a different player, extremely confident and comfortable in the Real Madrid shirt, and he has Güler behind him providing support. Barça, meanwhile, look nothing like the well-oiled machine of Flick's first season, and there is no Iñigo Martínez leading the defense. There could be big wins if Madrid and Mbappé get it right this time. -Kirkland
Lamine Yamal vs. Álvaro Carreras: Although Barça won both games in Lisbon against Benfica last season (5-4 and 1-0), not everything went well for Yamal in the confrontation against Carreras. The Spanish left back was one of the players who best contained Yamal, who finally scored against Benfica in the third meeting between both teams, when Carreras was suspended.
Yamal is the type of player who is also motivated by individual battles. The idea that he needs to prove himself to an opponent fuels him and he will be ready to run in Races. This season in LaLiga he averages 14.8 hits every 90 minutes and 6.4 hits every 90 minutes, both record figures in the five major European leagues (minimum 300 minutes). Also, as Flick pointed out this week, he almost always steps up in big games. His three career goals against Madrid are more than he has scored against any other team.
With Raphinha, Lewandowski and Olmo absent, much of Barça's hopes will once again depend on the teenager delivering. –Marsden
Predictions
The gap between the two teams last season was significant, if not always as big as the results of their four meetings suggested. Madrid looks much better than last season, while Barça is worse. Madrid will win 3-1. -Kirkland
Madrid have seemed more stable but also have their own defensive problems. Alonso's biggest games in charge so far (against PSG and Atlético) have ended in defeats and I expect Barça to improve on what we have seen in recent weeks. Ultimately, with only two points between the teams in the league, a draw might not be considered the worst result for either side if it is tied at the end. It will be a 2-2 draw. –Marsden
Odds (via ESPNBET)
Real Madrid: +105
Barcelona: +210
Draw: +300
