Barcelona vs Real Madrid Preview: How to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
Barcelona welcome Real Madrid to Camp Nou in La Liga on Sunday for El Clasico, which will be played without Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo for the first time since 2007.
Even with Ronaldo now at Juventus and Messi sidelined through injury, the match is not short of star quality, with players like Gareth Bale, Raphael Varane, Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez all expected to feature in one of football's most watched matches.
Check out 90min's preview for Sunday's Clasico below.
How to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Sunday 28 October |
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What Time Is Kick Off? | 15:15 (BST) |
Where Is it Played? | Camp Nou |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | Eleven Sports |
Referee? | José Sánchez Martínez |
Team News
Barcelona are without Messi, who suffered an arm injury against Sevilla and is expected to be sidelined for three weeks. Samuel Umtiti and Thomas Vermaelen's absences mean Clement Lenglet should partner Gerard Pique in defence.
Dani Carvajal is not expected to be make it so Nacho should start at right back, but Marcelo is fully fit again and should feature on the left. In midfield, Luka Modric could start despite his evident fatigue, with Dani Ceballos waiting in the wings should he be called upon.
Predicted Lineups
Barcelona | Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Alba; Arthur, Busquets, Rakitic; Coutinho, Suarez, Rafinha. |
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Real Madrid | Courtois; Nacho, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric; Isco, Benzema, Bale. |
Head to Head Record
Los Blancos have the edge when it comes to head to head results, winning 95 of the 238 games played in all competitions. Barca are only two behind on 93, with 50 fixtures ending in draws.
Barcelona are unbeaten in their last four La Liga games against Madrid but haven't beaten their bitter rivals in the league at Camp Nou since March 2015, when Jeremy Mathieu and Luis Suarez netted.
Real Madrid's biggest win came in 1943 when they smashed Barca 11-1 in the Copa del Rey. Barcelona have recorded seven victories by five goal margins, the most recent coming in 2010 when David Villa scored twice in a 5-0 success.
Recent Form
Much has been made of Real Madrid's recent poor form, with manager Julen Lopetegui expected to be sacked if his side lose on Sunday.
Strangely enough, they are only four points behind Barcelona, who currently top La Liga, so a win could turn the mood around the Bernabeu.
They'll have to overcome some stuttering recent form to prevail on Sunday, with the Viktoria Plzen triumph their first win in six games.
Barcelona haven't had too many issues this season, although they will be frustrated their lead at the top of La Liga is not as big as it could be after drawing three of their nine games.
Here's how each team has performed in their last five fixtures:
Barcelona | Real Madrid |
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Barcelona 2-0 Inter (24/10) | Real Madrid 2-1 Viktoria Plzen (23/10) |
Barcelona 4-2 Sevilla (20/10) | Real Madrid 1-2 Levante (20/10) |
Valencia 1-1 Barcelona (7/10) | Alaves 1-0 Real Madrid (6/10) |
Tottenham 2-4 Barcelona (3/10) | CSKA Moscow 1-0 Real Madrid (2/10) |
Barcelona 1-1 Athletic Bilbao (29/9) | Real Madrid 0-0 Atletico Madrid (29/9) |
Prediction
Real Madrid have had a bit of a mare in recent weeks with some shoddy results, but they should be a little more confidence following their Champions League win against Viktoria Plzen on Tuesday.
Barca showed they can beat Europe's elite without Lionel Messi when they bested Inter and they'll be confident of picking up a good result on Sunday.
It probably won't be an instant classic, but expect Barca to come out on top.
Prediction: Barcelona 1-0 Real Madrid