Key events
“These two might, just might, actually be the best teams in Europe again; this could be a battle the way it used to be, closer and more competitive than anyone anticipated … a clash of styles and identities … a clash of titans.” Allow the good doctor to set the scene.
The reigning champions Real Madrid are without Rodrygo and Thibaut Courtois, both of whom are injured. They’re two of three changes to their starting XI after the 5-2 comeback win over Borussia Dortmund, with club captain Luka Modrić dropping to the bench; Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga step into the midfield, while Andriy Lunin is in goal.
Barcelona by contrast are unchanged in the wake of their 4-1 rout of Bayern Munich. Gavi, on his way back from long-term injury, is on the bench and will hope to add to the 12 minutes he’s managed as a sub against Sevilla and Bayern since his return last weekend.
The teams
Real Madrid: Lunin, Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy, Bellingham, Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga, Mbappe, Vinicius Jr.
Subs: Gonzalez, Mestre, Modric, Guler, Endrick, Vallejo, Ceballos, Garcia, Brahim.
Barcelona: Pena, Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde, Casado, Pedri, Yamal, Lopez, Lewandowski, Raphinha.
Subs: Dominguez, Fati, Fort, Kochen, Martin, Olmo, Gavi, Szczesny, Torre, Victor, de Jong.
Referee: José María Sánchez Martínez.
Preamble
Should Real Madrid avoid defeat in tonight’s clásico, they’ll equal the longest unbeaten run in La Liga history. Who holds the current record, which stands at 43 games? Let’s not insult your intelligence by answering that, other than to say that particular team put together their sequence between 2017 and 2018.
That’s not the only reason Barcelona will want to beat Carlo Ancelotti’s side tonight. A win for Hansi Flick’s men would give them a serious advantage over the reigning champions in the race for the title, with just 11 games gone. So it really is all to play for, in more ways than one. Kick-off in Madrid is at 8pm BST, 9pm local. ¡Esta sucediendo!
