One of the football's biggest matches returns arsenic Real Madrid big Barcelona successful the 250th competitory variation of the clash simply known arsenic El Clasico.
Sunday's lucifer sees some sides connected apical of the LaLiga table, with Barcelona conscionable supra Real Madrid owed to extremity difference. Barcelona snapped a six-game winless streak against their rivals successful an emphatic 4-0 triumph past season, though Real Madrid would spell connected to triumph their grounds 35th LaLiga championship.
- Real Madrid vs. Barcelona connected ESPN+ (Sunday, Oct. 16, 10:15 a.m. ET)
Following an offseason successful which Barcelona spent astir €150 cardinal ($145.6 million) to bring successful caller players, the Catalan broadside has its sights acceptable connected a 27th league title. Meanwhile, Madrid are eyeing back-to-back crowns for the archetypal clip since the 2006-08 campaigns, not to notation extending their grounds Champions League haul to 15 trophies.
ESPN correspondents Sam Marsden and Alex Kirkland interruption down some sides and look astatine what to expect up of Sunday's lucifer astatine the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.
JUMP TO: Seasons truthful far | Star strikers: Benzema oregon Lewa? | Battle of midfields | Better playmakers? | Injuries and depth? | Coaches' corner | Prediction
How has it gone truthful acold for Real Madrid, Barcelona this season?
Kirkland: Madrid started the run arsenic if it were a seamless continuation of past season's expectation-busting, double-winning campaign, with 9 wins retired of 9 successful each competitions. Their archetypal and lone slip-up to day came successful a 1-1 location gully with Osasuna connected Oct. 2, but they've bounced backmost since and besides kept a archetypal cleanable expanse of the LaLiga play successful Saturday's 1-0 triumph astatine Getafe.
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Summer signing Aurelien Tchouameni has helped fans hide astir the departure of Casemiro to Manchester United, portion young stars Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes and Federico Valverde are processing into this team's caller procreation of leaders, with the enactment of aged hands Luka Modric and Karim Benzema.
Marsden: Barcelona are overmuch improved from past play -- I mean, they should beryllium aft spending implicit €150 cardinal -- but they inactive look similar a squad successful development. Thumping wins person been contrasted with struggles to interruption down stubborn opponents, and they are connected the cusp of different disappointing Champions League exit aft mediocre results against Bayern Munich and Internazionale.
The squad is packed with quality, though, and with Robert Lewandowski astatine 1 extremity and Marc-Andre Ter Stegen astatine the other, they person been effectual successful some boxes. They are the apical scorers (20) successful LaLiga aft 8 games and besides person the champion defence, having conceded conscionable 1 goal.
A travel to the Santiago Bernabeu volition supply a amended thought of whether they tin vie for the rubric this season, arsenic good arsenic the accidental to bounce backmost from Wednesday's gully with Inter.
Lewandowski oregon Benzema: Who is the champion striker successful LaLiga?
Marsden: Lewandowski's interaction has been felt connected and disconnected the pitch. On it, helium is the apical scorer successful LaLiga with 9 goals successful 8 games, 3 much than anyone else. Off it, helium is simply a leader. His professionalism, cognition and enactment complaint are infectious. Xavi has praised the power helium has had connected the younger members of the squad already.
He whitethorn beryllium 34, but helium is inactive a striker astatine the highest of his powers and his determination to Barca has provided caller motivation. He is apt to ticker Benzema triumph the Ballon d'Or this year, a prize helium feels helium deserved during his clip astatine Bayern Munich. He hopes the spotlight that falls connected Barca volition springiness him a amended accidental astatine idiosyncratic glory; Barca anticipation that tendency volition propel them to success. -- Marsden
Kirkland: It's been a unusual commencement to the play for Benzema. Just a fewer months ago, his goal-scoring heroics successful Madrid's melodramatic Champions League tally were dispelling immoderate remaining doubts that this was a subordinate worthy of Ballon d'Or recognition. Now, an injury-disrupted spell -- including a period connected the sidelines with a thigh occupation -- means helium hasn't scored since August.
Three LaLiga goals from 5 starts is simply a humble return, and Benzema's missed punishment against Osasuna saw Madrid suffer their 100% record. Fortunately, Vinicius and Rodrygo person stepped into the breach. Benzema was rested astatine the weekend, and Tuesday's Champions League 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk gave him 1 past accidental to find his signifier earlier the Clasico.
Modric's midfield mastery oregon young dynamos Gavi, Pedri?
Kirkland: Madrid's midfield, the bedrock of their occurrence implicit the past decade, is yet undergoing a generational change.
The nine made the astute determination to determination connected Casemiro, 30, for a important fee, having already signed Tchouameni, 22, arsenic his preemptive successor. Tchouameni has already shown successful flashes that helium tin regenerate the Brazilian -- and adjacent amended connected his violative output -- but is yet to beryllium tested successful a crippled of this magnitude. Toni Kroos, 32, remains hugely influential but is not a guaranteed starter.
It's the seasoned Modric, 37, who refuses to beryllium dislodged from Madrid's champion XI. The champion usage of Eduardo Camavinga's talents has been arsenic a interaction substitute, portion Valverde's consolidation connected the close means the classical midfield 3 is present efficaciously a four-man set.
Marsden: Gavi and Pedri person established themselves arsenic regulars for Barca and Spain astatine conscionable 18 and 19, respectively. No 1 doubts their prime oregon their potential, but they present request to crook that into silverware to beryllium enactment connected par with their predecessors, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez, and the Madrid midfielders they volition look connected Sunday.
The bully news: they're some connected the close path. With Sergio Busquets sat astatine the basal of the midfield, Gavi pops up everywhere. He is truthful busy, successful fact, that immoderate radical astatine the nine judge helium needs to dilatory down conscionable a small spot to go adjacent better.
As for Pedri, fewer person shown specified a superb knowing of the crippled astatine specified a young age. He has demonstrated helium tin power games; tin helium present power a Clasico?
Playmakers galore: Will Vinicius, Dembele, Valverde shine?
Marsden: Barca request their different attackers to people much to lessen the load connected Lewandowski, whose brace against Inter could not salvage a triumph connected Wednesday. On paper, their attacking extent successful enactment of the Polish striker is incredible: Ousmane Dembele, Raphinha, Ansu Fati, Ferran Torres and Memphis Depay. So acold this season, though, they person not delivered consistently enough.
Dembele has been the prime of the bunch, superb astatine times, but helium inactive needs to amended his decision-making successful the last third. He has 4 assists but lone 2 goals. Xavi wants him to people more, though to beryllium fair, the Barca manager wants everyone to people more.
After Lewandowski, lone Dembele, Ansu and Pedri person scored much than erstwhile successful league games this season. They each person two. That is not bully capable aft 11 games, particularly compared with Madrid, who person 4 players with 4 oregon much goals.
Kirkland: The aboriginal item of Madrid's play has been the mode Vinicius, Rodrygo and Valverde person helped forge a caller individuality for this squad arsenic a direct, dynamic counterattacking unit. Vinicius is the team's apical scorer, with 7 goals successful each competitions, and Rodrygo and Valverde person some chipped successful with 4 each.
The lone dilemma manager Carlo Ancelotti volition look against Barcelona is whether to commencement Valverde -- whose caller publication has made him astir undroppable -- oregon Rodrygo. The apt result is for the Brazilian to beryllium held successful reserve for aboriginal successful the game, fixed the deficiency of convincing attacking alternatives with Marco Asensio and Eden Hazard retired of signifier and favour.
Injury concerns unreality the Clasico: Who has amended depth?
Kirkland: Madrid's Clasico buildup has been deed by wounded doubts implicit the 2 players they tin slightest spend to lose: Thibaut Courtois and Benzema. Courtois volition beryllium a last-minute determination arsenic helium recovers from a sciatic nervus problem, portion Benzema is present expected to beryllium available, albeit lacking lucifer sharpness. If Courtois doesn't marque it -- though indications are that his fittingness is trending up -- Andriy Lunin's deficiency of big-game acquisition would beryllium a large concern.
Elsewhere, Madrid's squad is strong, with Ancelotti choosing 2 of 3 elite centre-backs -- Eder Militao, David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger -- each week, and capable to telephone connected the likes of Camavinga and Rodrygo if a second-half vigor boost is required.
Marsden: Barca's summertime spending served the dual intent of improving the starting lineup and adding depth. That extent has been pushed to the bounds successful defence, though, wherever a spate of injuries forced Xavi to tract 3 left-backs against Celta Vigo, earlier a makeshift backmost 3 could not incorporate Inter..
The losses of Ronald Araujo (Uruguay) and Jules Kounde (France) portion connected planetary duty, possibly Barca's champion 2 defenders, has been a immense setback. Further injuries to Hector Bellerin and Andreas Christensen person adjacent reopened the doorway for Gerard Pique to travel backmost successful from the cold.
Further forward, Frenkie de Jong, Franck Kessie and Memphis person each suffered knocks. De Jong and Kessie are backmost again, Memphis is not acold distant and determination is an extracurricular accidental Kounde could look Madrid, but Barca volition beryllium weakened successful defence astatine the Bernabeu.
Ancelotti vs. Xavi: Which manager volition beryllium much confident?
Marsden: Barca spell into the crippled apical of LaLiga, but sluggish 1-0 wins successful their past 2 league games against Celta and Mallorca, coupled with wounded problems, had already reduced the euphoria that was opening to bubble earlier the caller planetary break.
The morale-sapping gully with Inter past further dented the temper astir the nine and Xavi takes his broadside to Madrid astatine possibly the lowest infinitesimal of his clip successful complaint of the club. While the subordinate could beryllium passed for past season's Champions League exit, helium volition instrumentality immense work if, arsenic looks likely, it happens again this term. Despite that, helium volition find reasons for optimism. Barca won 4-0 successful Madrid past play and caller past shows they often bask their trips to the capital.
Kirkland: You get the feeling Carlo Ancelotti is ne'er thing but confident. Winning LaLiga and the Champions League was a surprise, a late-career item and vindication that the 63-year-old Italian tin inactive present astatine the highest level. He besides has shown that, assisted by a youthful unit including lad Davide, he's susceptible of maturation and innovation successful what's apt his vocation swan song.
Ancelotti's Madrid broadside is versatile -- they tin support the ball, beryllium deep, property precocious oregon play connected the antagonistic -- and he'll privation revenge for past season's 4-0 humbling astatine the Bernabeu, an eyebrow-raising effect contempt not yet meaning much. He'll person learnt lessons from that game; notably that the ill-advised gambit of playing Modric arsenic an exigency mendacious 9 isn't 1 to beryllium repeated.
Madrid person to unfastened up a small much astatine location and, with Barca utilized to facing teams sitting deep, they tin instrumentality vantage of immoderate abstraction afforded to them.
Prediction time: Madrid revenge? Barça tally it back?
Kirkland: Neither squad goes into this lucifer successful its champion form, and I would expect a overmuch tighter crippled than past season's 4-0. I tin spot Lewandowski scoring successful his archetypal Clasico, and Benzema uncovering his scoring boots again, successful a 1-1 gully that sets america up nicely for the rubric contention to come.
Marsden: Clasicos don't ever travel the signifier book, truthful I wouldn't instrumentality excessively overmuch from Barca's post-international interruption struggles. They volition beryllium keen to determination connected from the Inter effect quickly, though it won't beryllium casual against a coagulated Madrid side. With neither squad hopeless for the 3 points astatine this signifier of the campaign, I volition beryllium connected the obstruction with an entertaining 2-2 draw.
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