The biggest regularly scheduled game in club football is upon us. El Clásico is set for this Sunday as Barcelona will host their eternal rivals Real Madrid.
Both sides have looked far from their invincible selves so far this season, but the Blaugrana have generally done very well even allowing for their four match winless run. They currently sit top of La Liga, one point ahead of Alavés in second and four points ahead of Los Blancos who are all the way down in eighth – largely because of their five match winless run (in which they scored just once!)
Read on for Barcelona vs. Real Madrid live stream options, team news, predicted XIs, stats and TV channel info.
When is Barcelona vs. Real Madrid?
Competition: La Liga
Venue: Camp Nou
Date: Wednesday, 28 October
Kick-off: 3:15 PM BST
Match Preview
Barcelona are currently top of La Liga by one point ahead of Alavés. They started the season superbly well with six wins in a row, but then had a shocking run of four games without a win. They rebounded last week by beating Sevilla, however, and come into the Clásico off the back of an impressive win in the Champions League vs. Inter.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, are four points behind Barcelona but sit all the way down the table in eighth. Los Blancos have endured a miserable start to their season (that would be even worse but for Barça’s blip keeping them in sight). New manager Julen Lopetegui is under real pressure and could lose his job if Real Madrid lose at the weekend.
And losing is something they might do. Los Blancos have, after all, won just one of their last six games (an unconvincing win over Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League) and have scored just three times in the six games played over the last month. However, they have some hope because of the injury to Barcelona’s superstar Lionel Messi.
The Argentine fractured his arm during the win over Sevilla (and watched the victory against Inter from the stands with his arm in a sling) and is set to miss up to a month of action. This is bad news for the Blaugrana as he is their everything, how they reorient the side without him will go a long way to deciding who wins this match.
Where can I watch live?
Barcelona’s game against Inter can be viewed by UK residents on Eleven Sports via their website or their app.
The game is also available to watch on fuboTV.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about fuboTV
Will Suárez stay the course?
With Leo Messi out injured, Luis Suárez is the most important Barcelona forward right now by a distance. The Uruguayan has declined athletically and been through a rough season, to the point where you couldn’t really call him the world’s best no. 9 anymore. And with Messi around, that was just about enough (especially as the two had such a great partnership).
But without Messi, Barcelona need Suárez to stand up. He did against Inter, playing magnificently, leading the line, carrying the club forward and even setting up the opening goal with a fabulous cross. If Barcelona are to win the Clásico then Luis Suárez will need to put on his third great performance in eight days, something he hasn’t managed for over a year.
Can Lopetegui save his job?
It’s been a pretty miserable five months for Julen Lopetegui. He seemed on the verge of leading Spain to a World Cup back in June, then he took the Real Madrid job and immediately lost his Spain role. Without Lopetegui, La Furia Roja crashed out of the World Cup to Russia, and Lopetegui hasn’t really looked comfortable as Real Madrid boss.
Lopetegui began his Madrid career losing to Atlético Madrid, which just doesn’t happen in European games. Then he’s never managed to put together a consistent run of form with an ageing and unfocused squad. What’s crazy is Madrid have the young players needed to turn this around, Lopetegui just has to, you know play them.
But whether it’s his youngsters or his veterans the players Lopetegui turns to against Barcelona will be key. The only hope the Spaniard has of keeping his job is beating Barcelona, and beating them well (boos greeted the weak win over Plzen). If Lopetegui can manage it then he lives on to fight another day, but if he does anything but win in style, he’s toast.
Will Valverde take a risk with Dembélé?
Ernesto Valverde has an aversion to skilful wingers, because of the risk they present. Ousmane Dembélé, Malcom, Gerard Deulofeu, even Denis Suárez… all of them have existed on a very short leash under Valverde. One bad performance can see them hooked for an extended run of games. And when the club had Leo Messi, this could mostly be overlooked.
Sure, not playing Dembélé is why Roma were so able to squeeze Barcelona and eliminate them from the Champions League last year, but mostly the players have been the ones to suffer, not the club (Dembélé was never even sent to warm up against Inter). But against a side like Madrid, a side clearly vulnerable to pace in attack, the question rears its head again: will Valverde take a risk with Dembélé?
If he starts the Frenchman, then sure the ball may be given away a bit more than he’d like, but Barça would play with a degree of pace and incision that Rafinha simply cannot offer. The Brazilian did well against Inter, but he was aided by the Italians not putting up too much of a fight in terms of pressing; Madrid won’t be so lax, so Valverde’s bravery will be tested.
Head To Head
Barcelona started their season with six straight wins but this gave way to an incredibly poor run of form where the Blaugrana failed to win for four consecutive La Liga matches in a row (though they did beat Spurs in between draws against Athletic Club and Valencia). Their poor run meant that they couldn’t separate themselves in La Liga and are first by just one point. They are top of their Champions League group, however, with three wins from three following wins against PSV, Spurs and Inter.
Real Madrid have been up and down all season. They started the season losing the UEFA Super Cup to city rivals Atlético Madrid. They picked up three wins in a row before once again being denied by Atleti, this time in a 1-1 draw. They followed this up with a couple more wins before Sevilla hammered them 3-0 and began their month of woe. Five games without a win, four games without a goal, all unwanted records. Lopetegui’s men did beat Viktoria Plzen, however, and will hope their season “starts” now.
In La Liga – Barcelona wins: 70 Draws: 34 Madrid wins: 72
Team News
Barcelona will be without the injured Messi and Samuel Umtiti, who are both absent long-term. Besides that they will be operating at full-strength (although a full-strength without Messi and Umtiti is basically half-strength), with Rafinha and Sergi Roberto likely to retain their places from the win against Inter, meaning that Ousmane Dembélé and Nelson Semedo will remain on the subs bench.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, are sweating over the fitness of Marcelo. The Brazilian took a hefty knock in the win over Viktoria Plzen and is now in a race against time to be fit for the Clásico. If he fails to make it then he will join his regular full-back partner, Dani Carvajal, out of the game. The Spaniard has a calf problem that rules him out and will likely be replaced by Nacho or Lucas Vázquez. Moreover Los Blancos will also be without Vinicius Junior, who is suspended after a red card earned in Real Madrid Castilla’s last game.
Predicted Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Piqué, Lenglet, Alba; Busquets, Rakitic, Arthur; Rafinha, Coutinho, Suárez.
Predicted Madrid XI: Courtois; Nacho, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Modric, Kroos, Isco; Bale, Benzema.
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