Real Madrid beat Barcelona with goals from Vinicius and Mariano
Real Madrid vs Barcelona: as it happened!
We were promised entertainment, as we always are in the Clásico. It was a long time coming but we finally got it. Vinicius got the first for Real Madrid and Mariano, the forgotten man, sealed what was already a done deal with a late strike. Barcelona are in trouble and Madrid retake their lead at the top of the table.
GAME OVER! What a way to finish.
Mariano on for Benzema.
Courtois grabs it. Ter Stegen up and everything.
Vinicius with a foul on Rakitic and Lahoz gives the free. Chance to send it into the box.
Vazquez taken down on the edge of the box. Ramos steps up.
Valverde off for Vazquez.
Casemiro down in a heap as Messi catches him late and from behind. Nasty one and he gets a booking too.
Vinicius into the box again and he goes down now with Ter Stegen diving at his feet. He urges to crowd to make more noise. He's loving this.
Messi with the free and Pique headers it wide at the front post.
Modric with a foul on Ansu Fati.
Arthur and Griezmann off. Rakitic and Ansu Fati coming on.
Modric on for Isco.
Carvajal inside the box. Vinicius tries to backheel it home. No dice. Madrid all over Barcelona now.
Another Madrid counter. Kroos sends it into Benzema but it's headed clear. Messi breaks and Marcelo gets back and it's played back to Courtois. Close call.
Braithwaite comes on and breaks through. Courtois saves the day. The ball comes back out to him and it's blocked again. Courtois gathers this time as it falls into his arms.
Carvajal headed back into Ramos but Ramos was offside.
Ter Stegen saves from Ramos now.
Braithwaite ready to come on now for Barcelona.
Really end to end stuff now.
Vinicius with the run inside the box. He goes down under a late challenge and Mateu Lahoz waves play on.
Benzema with the effort now as Carvajal clips it into him. He drives it over.
Vavlerde with the ball back to Kroos and he curls it well over.
Isco nearly makes it 1-0. He heads the cross down and Piqué stops it on the line. Barcelona are on the ropes a little bit here.
Piqué slides in on Vinicius. Out for a throw.
ISCO!!!!! He curls one with his right and Ter Stegen saves. The best save you'll see as he palms it around the post. Corner. The German saves Barça's bacon that time.
Benzema tries to round Semedo. The Portuguese wins it back off him.
Marcelo gives the ball away but Griezmann takes a touch and has no chance of beating Varane.
Vinicius with a poor touch and it's out for a goal-kick. Another chance goes to waste.
Casemiro with another foul.
Vinicius down the line again. He cuts it back again and Barcelona cut it out.
Kroos forced back to Courtois as Madrid look to play the ball out.
Messi stands over it. Crossed in and cleared but Barcelona keep it.
Messi fouled by Casemiro.
Corner in from Messi and Piqué heads over. Umtiti with a foul on Casemiro so it doesn't matter.
Messi shot is blocked and that's followed up with an Alba cross and that's out for a corner.
Second half is underway!
Teams back out on the field and we are ready for more Clásico action.
Half-time! Fairly lively affair in the end with chances for both sides.
Varane is down now breathing heavily. He gets up to his feet and walks back to defence. Looks like he got winded.
Arturo Vidal catches Marcelo. Free for Madrid out on the left.
Vidal with a shot now and that's blocked. Falls to De Jong and he tries to pass to Messi. They lose it and Madrid break. Vinicius pulls it back to Isco but he leaves him short.
Varane with a foul on Busquets as he tries to bring the ball out. Busquets probably was fouled but he was probably glad to hear Lahoz' whistle.
Messi through on goal! He strikes and denied by Courtois. That's a couple of times Courtois has saved Madrid now. Barcelona tapping lightly on the door now but it's getting more forceful.
Griezmann shot one end. And Madrid break with Vinicius. He has no options and eventually shoots but Ter Stegen with a routine catch.
Messi crosses in search of Vidal. Headed out by Varane.
Arthur beats Kroos and Courtois comes to the rescue. One on one and it hits his shoulder. Corner for Barcelona.
Vinicius tries to pull it back to Benzema but it's blocked and Madrid continue to push forward. Cross comes in this time onto Benzema's head and it's a glancer. Cleared by Barcelona.
Alba on thin ice and he topples over Valverde. No free and that's lucky for Alba because it probably would have been a second yellow if it was.
Cross into the box and Vinicius pushes Alba. Free to Barcelona.
Messi gets a shot away. It's an easy one for Courtois in the end. Griezmann might have gone himself but he plays to Messi in a tight spot and he pokes it towards goal. No chance of beating the Belgian from that.
Madrid can't work the ball out well and Barcelona pounce. No way they can make a chance though and Madrid counter. Vinicius back to Kroos and it's fired over again.
Arthur clashes with Ramos late and Madrid win the free. They play it out from the back.
Valverde gets the wrong side of Alba again. He crosses but nobody there waiting for it.
Casemiro goes through the back of Messi as he tries to control the ball. Fair and square says the referee. Messi doesn't complain.
Really even game here so far after Barcelona came to life. Madrid more dangerous slightly but, you know, Messi.
Real Madrid with some lovely football and Carvajal crosses. Vinicius chests it down and can't get the shot away. He might have hit it first time but that chance is gone now.
Now Alba sends it across to Griezmann and he fires over. Best chance of the game for Barcelona.
Varane gets the ball back to Courtois and he nearly makes a mess of it. They manage to escape and Marcelo drives forward. He is into space, pulls it back and it's blocked out. Game opening out now. Isco wanted that ball pulled back to him.
Casemiro looks to have pushed Arthur but he doesn't get the free. And then once Arthur is back on his feet, he fouls a Madrid player and is not happy.
Mateu Lahoz books both Carvajal and Alba. Looked like Carvajal the instigator but the referee books both of them with the reasoning that 'there were two of them in it.'
Carvajal and Alba getting involved in some extra-curricular activity.
Ball into the box and Griezmann chases it down. Varane manages to get a foot in and clears. Nice ball inside by Alba.
Mix-up by Ramos and Varane and Casemiro fouls Arthur in the middle. Madrid have been the better side here so far and Barcelona don't really have much of a plan. so far.
Ter Stegen pass out to Vidal is cut out by Casemiro and Vinicius cuts back to Kroos and he fires over.
What a chance. Marcelo and Vinicius link up well with a little cameo from Benzema. Cross in from Marcelo and Isco heads down to Benzema but it was the wrong option. Cleared by Barcelona.
Valverde and Benzema link up well to work a chance. Crossed in and it's headed out. Offside in the end after Barcelona fail to clear properly though.
Vinicius with the yellow card. He pulls down Semedo as he drives forward. Early on in the game for a card for the Brazilian but it was a foul to stop a counter and Lahoz acts.
Messi to Griezmann and a lovely backheel back to the Argentine. His cross is too deep and dribbles wide.
Messi out to Alba and back inside to De Jong. Fairly tame possession from Barcelona again.
Casemiro out to Marcelo. He plays it inside to Vinicius and that's blocked for a corner by Semedo. Madrid having some luck down that left-hand side. Worked short from the corner again and Benzema launches one at goal. Over the bar.
Barcelona on the ball again with Ter Stegen. Madrid pushing them high up the field and not really giving them many options long either. Put out for a throw for Madrid in the end.
Valverde tests Alba's hamstring by putting the ball by him and sprinting onto it. Held up okay.
Good start from Barcelona but that earlier attack was stopped when De Jong didn't play it out to the right quick enough. They held on but have lost the ball now. Madrid patient on the ball.
Barcelona threatening.
Messi out to De Jong and he stretches his legs to get to it. Barcelona on the ball and whistles from the Bernabéu faithful.
Corner taken quickly and then sent out for another corner.
Real Madrid attack down the left with Marcelo to start but get turned back. Isco crosses and wins a corner. Blocked by Nelson Semedo.
We are underway!
Asensio didn't make the squad but he is on Twitter and sent out a message of support to his teammates.
Teams on the field. It's raining in Madrid too.
Teams in the tunnel. Setién on the bench and looking very relaxed as he sips a bottle of water.
Bale not starting tonight so his drought might continue.
Cristiano back at the Bernabéu tonight. Oh, the irony and all the jokes when Madrid can't find a goal.
Eder Sarabia, Setién's assistant says Barcelona "have to be brave with the ball" but also make sure to play the ball into dangerous positions and also know when to hold back.
Sport says Courtois' comments before the Clásico about Messi were an "irresponsible act". He said that they prepare for Messi just like any other player. Do not poke the bear, Thibaut.
From Zidane, we can't really look any further than that Marcelo inclusion. Ferland Mendy has been really good recently and has helped Vinicius with his evolution into a reliable starter. Marcelo offers more going forward possibly but leaves them very exposed at the back. This is going to be very interesting.
Kroos is back in the starting eleven too and Modric drops out. Aside from that, no big surprises from the French manager.
Piqué and Alba back. The former turned his ankle at the end of the Napoli gave and looked like he would certainly miss out. Jordi Alba surprised everyone by returing to training earlier than expected, making the squad and now being named to start. Umtiti gets the nod over Lenglet and aside from that, Setién with the same team as we expected. Braithwaite on the bench again despite talk of a potential start.
Real Madrid XI: Courtois, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Valverde, Casemiro, Kroos, Isco Benzema, Vinicius
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen, N. Semedo, Piqué, Sergio, Arthur, Messi, Griezmann, Jordi Alba, F. De Jong, Vidal, Umtiti.
There was a video floating around of Messi arriving in Madrid and he was supposedly limping. But that has been rubbished by our former colleague here, Moises Llorens. "He is in perfect nick to play," says the tweet.
Sport says the three key points about this game:
1: Barcelona have a chance to land a blow to Madrid and leave Zidane on the brink.
2. Madrid looking for a recovery job after City on Wednesday and losing the lead at the top of LaLiga.
3. Barcelona have won four consecutive games in the league at the Bernabéu and have scored 11 with just two against them.
Real Madrid haven't won a LaLiga Clásico at home since October 2014. That's 1,954 days.
Mateu Lahoz referees the game tonight and it will be his fifth time in the middle for such an affair. There have been two wins for Madrid, a Barcelona victory and a draw in the four previous.
The Clásico will be shown in 182 countries, on 210 channels and with 38 ultra definition cameras at the game recording every move.
Setién was pouring on the pressure in his press conference yesterday. "For them, it's key," he said.
Meanwhile, Jovic has been sent a very clear message by Zidane. It's turning into a bit of a nightmare for him at Madrid this season when some were clamouring for a two-striker system tonight after Wednesday's fairly tame offering.
Mundo Deportivo have Braithwaite starting. That's an option that is gathering steam recently. He hasn't started yet for Barça and it would be quite a baptism of fire although his debut at the Camp Nou against Eibar was very nifty.
Messi has scored 15 goals at the Bernabéu and is Madrid's nightmare say Mundo Deportivo.
Bars around the city gearing up for the game. "Don't miss it!"
"Historic opportunity," say Sport.
"A Great Chance," is how Mundo Deportivo see it.
"Between 27th of February and 5th March last year, Madrid fell twice to Barcelona and conceded a bunch of goals against Ajax which saw them drop out of the Champions, LaLiga and the Copa and lose a manager," says our preview in AS today. They are in serious danger of that happening again as City beat them last Wednesday, they're already out of the Copa after defeat to Real Sociedad in the Copa and LaLiga hangs in the balance.
Karim Benzema will play his 500th game tonight should he feature as we expect him to. He has scored 240 goals, which is almost a goal every other game. His first game was a 3-2 win over Deportivo la Coruña and his first ever Clásico came at the Camp Nou, which Barcelona won 1-0.
If you are wondering about team news ahead of the game, we have you covered.
This is one of the strangest games between Spain's two biggest teams in ages. There are so many question marks around so many players along with both coaches. It's the Clásico of Mystery.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the Clásico! It kicks off at 21:00 from the Santiago Bernabéu but there's plenty more roaring and shouting to be done before then. Keep an eye here for team news and build-up.