The biggest rivalry in La Liga takes center stage on Sunday afternoon when Real Madrid host Barcelona in the 262nd edition of El Clásico.
In front of a sea of white shirts at the Santiago Bernabéu, the two goliaths of Spanish football will lock horns in the most anticipated match of the early 2025–26 season. The defending La Liga champions, led by Lamine Yamal, are set to face off with their bitter rivals, powered by Kylian Mbappé.
Recent results paint the heavyweight battle as a lopsided affair, with Barcelona walking away with four victories in four matches against Real Madrid last season. Hansi Flick’s men dominated their bitter rivals, scoring 16 goals across all competitions and claiming a domestic treble at the expense of Los Blancos.
Yet Real Madrid look like a different team under Xabi Alonso, one that sits atop the La Liga standings thanks to eight wins in nine league matches. The Catalans are only two points behind, though, which means this weekend’s Clásico could be the first large swing in the race for the Spanish crown should either side secure a victory.
Real Madrid are in for three massive injury boosts for Sunday’s affair. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal and Dean Huijsen have all trained with the team in the build-up to El Clásico and are expected to be available.
Ferland Mendy is also back after getting called-up for Los Blancos’ midweek bout with Juventus. It remains to be seen whether Alonso will want to throw any of the returning defensemen into such a heated game, but Huijsen is the likeliest to get the nod.
David Alaba and Antonio Rüdiger remain in the infirmary, while Dani Ceballos is a doubt to feature against Barcelona.
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs. Barcelona (4-1-2-3): Courtois; Valverde, Militão, Huijsen, Carreras; Tchouaméni; Bellingham, Güler; Mastantuono, Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior.
Barcelona are in the middle of an extensive injury crisis. Joan García, Marc-André ter Stegen, Gavi, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo are all stuck in the infirmary.
Raphinha was in a race to be back in time for El Clásico, but the Brazilian is expected to miss out on the all-important fixture after not training on Friday. Jules Koundé also remains a doubt after the fullback missed training as well.
The good news for Flick is that Frenkie de Jong looks likely to recover from a bout of illness and is set to return to his place in the midfield alongside Pedri.
Barcelona predicted lineup vs. Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Szczęsny; E. García, Araújo, Cubarsí, Balde; Pedri, De Jong; Yamal, López, Rashford; Torres.
