Barcelona will welcome Real Madrid to Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday night, October 25, 2026, for another highly anticipated El Clasico encounter, with both sides eager to strengthen their position in the La Liga title race.
The Spanish giants meet in Gameweek 10, with Barcelona looking to preserve their perfect domestic record while Real Madrid aim to close the gap at the top of the table.
Match preview
Barcelona head into the weekend showdown as La Liga’s leading side after collecting maximum points from their first nine matches. Hansi Flick’s men have accumulated 27 points and established themselves as early favourites in the title race.
However, the Catalan club suffered their first defeat of the season on Tuesday, losing 4-2 to European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. The result provided a setback ahead of one of their biggest fixtures of the campaign.
Barcelona will now turn their attention to domestic matters, hoping to maintain their impressive league form. Their most recent La Liga outing ended in a convincing 5-2 victory over Real Betis in Seville.
A victory against their arch-rivals would strengthen Barcelona’s grip on the title race and potentially give them a nine-point advantage over Real Madrid, a significant margin even at this early stage of the campaign.
Recent history also favours the hosts. Barcelona have won six of their last seven meetings with Real Madrid across all competitions, including a 2-0 triumph in the corresponding fixture last season.
The Catalans have also enjoyed a strong home record against Los Blancos, with their most recent defeat at home to Madrid coming in October 2023. Real Madrid’s last two league victories over Barcelona were both secured at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, arrive in Catalonia in encouraging form after recording a 4-1 Champions League victory over RB Leipzig. They also defeated Sevilla by the same scoreline in their previous league match.
Jose Mourinho’s side experienced a difficult period following their defeat to Atletico Madrid before the September and October international break. However, victories over Villarreal, Roma, Sevilla and RB Leipzig have helped them regain momentum, with four consecutive wins in all competitions.
Despite their recent recovery, Real Madrid cannot afford to lose further ground on Barcelona if they are to remain firmly involved in the championship battle. A defeat on Sunday could leave them nine points behind the league leaders.
The Madrid outfit face a demanding schedule before the next international break, with league matches against Barcelona, Racing de Santander and Valencia, alongside a European trip to AEK Athens.
Sunday’s contest will also bring together some of football’s most exciting attacking talents. Barcelona will look to Lamine Yamal for inspiration, while Real Madrid will rely heavily on Kylian Mbappe to trouble the home defence.
Team news
Barcelona have several injury concerns ahead of the Clasico, with Dani Olmo sidelined by an adductor problem. Roony Bardghji, Andreas Christensen and Eric Garcia are also expected to miss the match because of knee and thigh injuries.
Jules Kounde remains a major doubt after suffering an ankle problem, leaving Flick with decisions to make when selecting his defensive line.
Joao Cancelo and Xavi Espart are expected to occupy the full-back positions if Kounde fails to recover in time. Rodri and Fermin Lopez could also return to the starting team following the midweek defeat against PSG.
Lamine Yamal and Raphinha are expected to feature in attack, while Anthony Gordon is tipped to retain his place on the left flank.
Real Madrid will be without Rodrygo, who is recovering from a knee injury, while Ferland Mendy and Raul Asencio are also unavailable because of hip and leg problems respectively.
Vinicius Junior will miss the contest through suspension, providing another challenge for Mourinho as he prepares his attacking options.
Federico Valverde could be deployed at right-back, depending on the manager’s tactical approach. Bernardo Silva is also in contention for a starting role after impressing against RB Leipzig.
Arda Guler and Yan Diomande are expected to provide width in attack, with Jude Bellingham operating behind Mbappe in a central attacking role.
Predicted starting line-ups
Barcelona: J Garcia; Cancelo, Cubarsi, Martin, Espart; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Fermin, Gordon; Raphinha.
Real Madrid: Courtois; Valverde, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Tchouameni, Bernardo Silva; Guler, Bellingham, Diomande; Mbappe.
