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The first Clasico of this season is upon us, with Real Madrid hosting Barcelona at the legendary Santiago Bernabéu this weekend. The stakes couldn’t be higher with the top spot of La Liga at play. Barcelona have been flying high this season, sitting atop the league, but Real Madrid are snapping at their heels, just three points adrift and eager to knock them off the top of the league standing. .
Date, Time, and How to Watch
The first El Clásico of the season kicks off at 8 p.m. local time (7 p.m. GMT) this Saturday at the Santiago Bernabéu. Fans can catch the action live on BeIN Sports Arabic 1, BeIN Sports English 1, BeIN Sports Max 4, and Laliga TV Bar
Teams News
Barcelona may have been the more consistent team in La Liga, but Madrid are riding a wave of confidence after their remarkable comeback against Borussia Dortmund midweek in the Champions League. Vinicius Jr. dazzled with a second-half hattrick, leaving Los Blancos with high spirits as they head into Saturday’s electric showdown.
Yet, injuries have thrown a spanner in the works for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. Both Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo are out, forcing Andriy Lunin to step up between the goal posts, while Jude Bellingham is likely to make his Clásico debut alongside Vinicius and Kylian Mbappé. Ancelotti may also be tempted to start Aurelien Tchouameni, who has just returned from injury, but throwing him into the fray against their fiercest rivals could prove to be a gamble.
On the other hand, Barcelona are also nursing their own injury woes. Marc-André ter Stegen, Andreas Christensen, and Ronald Araujo remain sidelined, but the Catalan giants still boast plenty of firepower. Robert Lewandowski has been in sizzling goalscoring form, while Raphinha is on fire after grabbing a hat-trick in a typical Champions League night where Barcelona thumped the German side Bayern Munich 4-1.
Real Madrid prevailed in the last few Clásicos, with Barça winless in their last four meetings in major tournaments. But anything can happen under the bright lights of the Bernabéu, and this is a Barcelona side that knows how to rise to the occasion. Having honed their high-pressure tactics under German coach Hansi Flick, they have sharpened their ability to stifle the opposition in their own half from mounting an attack.
Predicted Lineups:
Real Madrid: Lunin; Lucas Vázquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappé.
Barcelona: Iñaki Peña; Koundé, Cubarsí, Íñigo Martínez, Balde; Casadó; Pedri, Dani Olmo; Yamal, Lewandoski, Raphinha.
Prediction
Despite the injury concerns, Real Madrid head into this fixture as slight favorites, undefeated in La Liga and eager to extend their dominance. Barcelona, however, will be desperate to hold onto their top spot and prove they can still inflict damage on their bitter rivals. It’s set to be a classic El Clásico clash, with both teams leaving everything on the pitch.
Predicted score: 2-2
