Barcelona vs Real Madrid summary: goals, stats, score & Clásico highlights | LaLiga EA Sports 24/25
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Barcelona vs Real Madrid: El Clásico as it happened
Full-time thoughts on a crazy Clásico:
Sometimes, the way you paint a game beforehand is not how it goes. Football is typically unpredictable, with that quality being the main driver of hope, fear and every other emotion that draws us in as youngsters and keeps us hooked for decades and decades.
But sometimes, the game goes exactly how it is supposed to go, and that's just what happened at Montjuïc. Real Madrid, in need of a win to keep up their title challenge, started brightly against Barcelona, and Mbappé was played in behind twiceto score, once from the spot and once with a classic finish around an outstretched Szczesny.
But remember, this game was always going to play out exactly how it should on paper, and therefore Barcelona needed to go behind first before turning things on. Remind you of anyone?
And so they did. A-la Madrid. Eric García took advantage first of Real Madrid's third/fourth/fifth/sixth string defence, getting down to a low header from a corner before Lamine Yamal bent one in from the right. How we expected, remember?
Two minutes later, the Madrid collapse wascomplete, with a simple, unforced error from Los Blancos allowing Raphinha to burst through and finish to turn the scoreboard around.
It was the Brazilian again, perhaps the best player in the world at this moment, who got number four, sealing his name at the top of the tree, sealing Barcelona's comeback for the first half and sealing Madrid's collapse.
The second half also went as expected: Barcelona tried, with long spells of possession, to take the sting out of Madrid's attack, but the lightning fast forwards in white always have enough talent to constantly cause problems, as they did.
Mbappé pulled one back around the hour mark to seal his hat-trick and from there, the changes came in from Barcelona and Madrid as they went blow for blow. The tension rose as the clock ticked down but Barcelona held on, and almost extended the lead with an VAR penalty ruled out and a disallowed goal from Fermín in the dying seconds.
Madrid tried and almost, as the story usually goes, got a late goal, but again the flag was raised. Youngster Víctor Muñoz won't want to watch the replays of his pair of misses from close range, as if taking the place of Vini Jr isn't enough pressure on your shoulders.
This story, and this league, is going to Barcelona. As we have come to expect.
That's all folks!
Thanks for joining the live feed of Barcelona 4-3 Real Madrid.
I'm going to lie down in a dark room.
Joe
And then there's this man
The best midfielder in the world, in my eyes. Pedri ruled the roost out there today, and kept Barcelona ticking along superbly well in all phases of the game,
A solemn Ancelotti leave Montjuïc...
The Real Madrid manager walked alone, with his hands behind his back, as he left Barcelona's stadium.
What a season from Raphinha
The former Leeds man might just be the most in-form player in the world right now...
How things look after that:
Here's how the table looks for both Real Madrid and Barcelona after that 4-3 win for the blaugrana.
It's a huge 7 point lead with just 3 to go.
Next fixtures:
Real Madrid vs Mallorca (Wednesday)
Espanyol vs Barcelona (Thursday)
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 82 | 35 | 26 | 4 | 5 |
| 2 | 75 | 35 | 23 | 6 | 6 |
| 3 | 70 | 35 | 20 | 10 | 5 |
| 4 | 61 | 34 | 16 | 13 | 5 |
| 5 | 61 | 35 | 17 | 10 | 8 |
Lamine Yamal gets the Sofascore MVP
The winger had a sensational game once again, with 1 goal and 3 big chances created, as well as being a constant menace for Fran García.
FULL-TIME!
Aaaaaand... breathe!
What a crazy, crazy game. Barcelona move 7 points clear with 3 to go and what a way to do so.
Back underway and immediately Barcelona attack, with Raphinha sending the ball over the ball.
Handball! The goal is ruled out!
He took the ball on the left, skipped past Fede, Modric and the defenders who made a token effort, skipped onto his right foot and fired the ball into the net.
The midfielder cut in from the left side and sent a rocket into the far side of the goal. Courtois had no chance.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
FERMÍN SCORES AND HE MAY JUST HAVE HANDED BARCELONA THE TITLE
Muñoz brings down Martínez, and that could well be that...
We're halfway through added time. Barcelona keen to play down the clock.
RULED OUT!
The referee blows for offside. Tchouaméni's header was met by Mbappé who scrambled the ball past the goalkeeper, but he was offside.
6 added minutes. Madrid corner...
ANOTHER CHANCE FOR MADRID!
Mbappé sees his shot saved by Szczesny and Muñoz can't get on the end of the rebound!
Superb footwork from Brahim allows him the space to play to Mbappé inside the left wing.
Kylian slides a pass through the lines into the feet of youngster, who is in behind the Barcelona defence. He takes a touch and is 1vs1 with the goalkeeper... but he sends a wayward effort over the bar from close range!
What a moment that could have been!
WHAT A CHANCE MISSED BY VÍCTOR MUÑOZ!!!
Another Barça change:
OFF: Ferran Torres
ON: Gavi
Vini Jr hobbles off the pitch
OFF: Vini Jr
ON: Víctor Muñoz
Raphinha drives a long-range effort well wide of Courtois' goal.
Pedri gets the easiest booking of the game so far after pulling Brahim's shirt.
Vini Jr sees a weak shot easily saved by Szczesny.
5 minutes of normal time to go...
Will we see an equaliser from Real Madrid or will Barça pull ahead?
Real Madrid make a change:
OFF: Lucas
ON: Endrick
As you were.
NO PENALTY!
Huge appeals for a Barcelona penalty after Tchouaméni blocks a shot with his arm. The referee sees it and says 'no señores'.
A sloppy touch on halfway from De Jong allows Bellingham to slide in, but it seems that the Englishman came out of it worse for wear than his opponent.
More Barça changes:
OFF: Olmo, Eric García
ON: Fermín, Héctor Fort
Szczesny punches away Modric's well-placed cross... Madrid come again.
Fifteen to go. Madrid win a corner.
Lamine Yamal scoops a low cross from right to left with the outside of his boot and all Raphinha needs to do is tap it into the empty net. Somehow he dives at the ball, gets underneath it and sends it over the bar!
OVER THE BAR!!! What a miss from Raphinha!
SAVE! Lamine Yamal hits a low drive from distance that's well saved down to Courtois' left.
It's all a bit tense now...
Madrid stole the ball high up and Modric played Vini Jr through the middle. The Brazilian ran towards goal all alone before sending a pass square to Mbappé, who finished well past Szczesny.
Game on?
Twenty to go... Barcelona are in cruise control as Madrid's bottle of belief runs low.
Barcelona are, rightly, trying to take the pace out of the game while their opponents are aiming to get things fizzy again. But it's not working for Ancelotti's team.
Barcelona pass, pass, pass around the white shirts and it's Ferran who tries his luck from distance, seeing his shot blocked by Tchouaméni and go out for a corner.
It's so obvious it's almost a joke when talking about this Real Madrid side, but the amount of times a Barcelona player is allowed to run forward with nobody marking them is shocking beyond belief. Brahim, Lucas and Fran García are all caught out in the space of 45 seconds as Barcelona attack.
A superb block from Christensen stops Vini Jr's cross from the right - Mbappé was lurking on the penalty spot all alone in what could have been a huge chance.
Asencio clears Raphinha's cross after Balde is allowed to advance 50 yards forward with the ball to no challenges from Madrid's defence; another shocking off-ball moment, only a trailing Lucas Vázquez was there to be seen.
Mbappé goes full 'FIFA Street' on Eric García and Andreas Christensen but he gets his feet tangled up and loses the ball inside the Barcelona box.
Barcelona make changes:
OFF: Cubarsí, Gerard Martín
ON: Balde, Christensen
Cubarsí is down... and he's coming off it seems.
WIDE. Vini Jr plays in Kylian Mbappé down the left. The striker takes a touch onto his right foot and flashes an arrow of a shot across the face of goal that flies narrowly wide.
The card is straight out for that Iñigo Martínez challenge on Bellingham, who went in wildly on halfway.
OFFSIDE!
Ferran played Raphinha in behind who darted towards goal before squaring to Lamine Yamal, but the Brazilian was in an illegal position in the buildup.
Correct decision.
Asencio gets a booking for a naughty challenge on Ferran.
OVER THE BAR. Lamine Yamal sidesteps to the left in his favourite position - I'm not even telling you where, you know exactly where - and sends a curling effort over the bar.
And Madrid do exactly the same thing, with Brahim slipping in both Vini Jr and Mbappé but Szczesny flies out to smother the ball.
Barcelona attack and Ferran tries to play Raphinha in behind, but Courtois reads it well and comes out well to collect.
Today's attendance
50,319 are inside the stadium today.
Second half underway!
More of the same, please.
Changes at half-time:
OFF: Güler, Ceballos
ON: Brahim, Modric
What a half of football from Ferran
The Shark is certainly living up to his nickname, and is giving Barça plenty of bite.
I'll get my coat.
Mbappé has had a solid first half
Despite Madrid's failings at the back, Mbappé has shown his talent so far.
Half-time musings:
Sometimes, the way you paint a game beforehand is not how it goes. Football is typically unpredictable, with that quality being the main driver of hope, fear and every other emotion that draws us in as youngsters and keeps us hooked for decades and decades.
But sometimes, the game goes exactly how it appears to go, and that's just what happened at Montjuïc. Real Madrid, in need of a win to keep up their title challenge, started brightly against Barcelona, and Mbappé was played in behind twice to score, once from the spot and once with a classic finish around an outstretched Szczesny.
But remember, this game is going to go exactly how it should on paper, so Barcelona need to go behind first before turning things on. Remind you of anyone?
And so they did. A-la Madrid. Eric García took advantage first of Real Madrid's third/fourth/fifth/sixth string defence, getting down to a low header from a corner before Lamine Yamal bent one in from the right. How we expected, remember?
Two minutes later, the Madrid collapse was complete, with a simple, unforced error from Los Blancos saw Raphinha curst through and finish to turn the scoreboard around.
It was the Brazilian again, perhaps the best player in the world at this moment, who got number four, sealing his name at the top of the tree, sealing Barcelona's comeback for the first half and sealing Madrid's collapse.
But this is only the first half, and if this game is going to go the way we thought, nobody does comebacks like Real Madrid. But they need something, and that something is something we haven't seen in a while.
HT:
E. García 19', Lamine Yamal 32', Raphinha 34', Raphinha 45
Mbappé 5' (pen.), Mbappé 14'
Half-time!
I'm going for a lie down.
The ball is in the net... but Mbappé is offside. Bellingham had slipped the Frenchman through but he was miles offside.
The olés are out in force as they tap, tap, tap around a deflated Madrid.
Back underway. Rapha is fine.
We've got a pause in play as Raphinha is seen to by medical staff.
Arda Güler, as talented as he is, has been caught out in today's game a few times due to his physicality. Again, he's simply shoved off the ball, giving Barcelona the chance to launch another counter.
Six minutes of added time, I think. Forgive me for being dazed and confused.
The ball is played back to Lucas Vázquez, who doesn't take a touch and instead lets Raphinha take the ball off his feet.
The scramble ends with Ferran taking the ball down the left side of the box before squaring to the Brazilian, who smashes past Courtois from close range.
What on Earth is going on?!?!
RAPHINHA
Turns out it was Bellingham's head that was offside in the buildup.
OFFSIDE!
No penalty! There was an offside in the buildup. For what it's worth, De Jong didn't even touch Mbappé.
Bellingham gets away down the left and crosses the ball to Mbappé. His ball is behind the striker who spins to turn around, and he's brought down by De Jong.
PENALTY TO REAL MADRID
MBAPPÉ IS BROUGHT DOWN!!!!
OVER THE BAR! It's less than the width of a witch's wispy hair that separates the ball from the goal after Raphinha's well-timed run allowed him to send a header towards goal.
Five to go of normal time and Madrid are crying out for the half-time whistle, a cup of warm milk and their cosy blankets.
Ferran is having the time of his life against Tchouaméni, like a shark against a defenceless surfer. He can't keep up with his constant runs behind the Madrid defence and is causing constant mayhem.
Mbappé, who is still on the pitch, gets in behind... but he's offside.
Tchouaméni gets a booking for bringing down Ferran.
What a crazy, crazy game. Madrid have fallen to pieces like the silliest of clown cars and Barcelona are absolutely flying.
A collision between two Madrid players allows Raphinha to steal the ball right from kick-off. He bursts away from the chasing white shirts and slips the ball underneath Courtois to completely flip the script!!!
THEY HAVE TURNED IT AROUND
Back underway.
Ferran works the ball inside the box before being turned away by a strong defence in white shirts. He looks to his right and Lamine Yamal is standing there. The ball is rolled towards the winger who is so cool he doesn't even need to take a touch before bending a sublime effort round the defence, round Courtois and into the net!
Half an hour gone at the Estadi Lluís Companys and this game has been as crazy as it has been tense and exciting.
Fede Valverde gets the honour of being the first name written into Señor Hernández Hernández's little book.
Superb play from De Jong who blocks Bellingham's pass down the wing with a sliding challenge. With the ball spinning high in the air he manages to scramble to his feet and keep possession by heading a dropping ball to his teammate in precisely one inch of space.
As it stands...
If the scoreline stays like this, with Madrid ahead, they will cut the gap down to just a single point in LaLiga with 3 games to go.
Güler receives the ball on the right, takes a touch and lofts a delightful pass over the heads of the Barcelona defence from wide on the halfway line. Mbappé burns in behind but this time Szczesny is there to gather up the scraps.
It's corner after corner for Barcelona at the moment, who are making Real Madrid forget all about their two early goals.
HUGE CHANCE. It's a bit of a mess at the back for Real Madrid who scramble to survive another attack from Barcelona. Olmo finds Martín at the back post who has the perfect chance to go for goal. He slashes a low cross across the box and Fran García is there to cover.
Another mistake from Güler on the right sees Barcelona counter once again. The crowd are playing their part as the momentum swings the way of the Catalans.
Back underway.
The corner is swung in and Eric García meets it to head past Courtois!
SAVE! A huge save from the world's busiest man, Thibaut Courtois, who stops a shot from distance. Corner.
CLOSE. Ceballos clears behind Raphinha's low cross after Arda Güler gave away a sloppy pass on halfway.
SAVE. Courtois pushes away Lamine Yama's shot from distance.
Back underway.
VAR took a quick look for a) a foul on Lamine Yamal and b) an offside, but they didn't find anything.
A super goal from Los Blancos. Lamine Yamal lost the ball inside the Madrid half, and Madrid countered with Vini Jr down the left.
The winger played Mbappé in behind the Barcelona defence and the striker made no mistake in sliding the ball past the goalkeeper!
CHANCE. Barcelona get down the left and Gerard Martín's ball is fired across goal. Olmo dives for it, as does Ferran, but it flies out.
Barcelona counter with Olmo; this time it's Jude Bellingham's turn to tackle, and he goes to ground to concede a corner for Los Blancos.
De Jong steps across to stop an advancing Mbappé who had skipped past two challenges on his way towards the Barcelona box.
Madrid are flying into the press here and are attacking Barcelona all over the pitch; their energy levels are sky-high in the opening minutes.
SAVE. Courtois gets down well to stop an Eric García drive from the right after the full-back made his way down the wing.
Vini Jr was weak in the challenge and on the wrong side of the attacking defender, who had an easy life getting up the pitch.
The striker swipes the ball into Szczesny's lower right corner, giving him no chance.
No offside, it's a penalty!
Cubarsí's terrible touch sees Mbappé through on his own right in front of goal. Szczesny commits too much as he tries to get the ball and trips the Frenchman inside the box!
PENALTY TO REAL MADRID!!!
Real Madrid break with a nice one-two between Mbappé and Vini Jr, but Eric García slides in well on the wing as the Brazilian looks to burst in behind.
It's Madrid with the ball in the opening stages as they tap. tap, tap the ball around the back. Barcelona's press is high, but considered.
And we're off!
Game underway in Barcelona.
A look at the table...
Here’s a look at the LaLiga table ahead of the game, and you can instantly see why the pressure is on for both sides going into the match. Barcelona are, after showing relentless - dare I say ‘title-winning’ - form, they sit 4 points ahead of Los Blancos on the same number of games.
A win today for them and it’s a 7-point lead with just 3 fixtures to go.
Conversely, a Real Madrid victory cuts the lead to just one point and gives Ancelotti’s side the perfect boost of momentum to finish the season and possibly claw another game back against a wounded Barça.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 79 | 34 | 25 | 4 | 5 |
| 2 | 75 | 34 | 23 | 6 | 5 |
| 3 | 70 | 35 | 20 | 10 | 5 |
| 4 | 61 | 34 | 16 | 13 | 5 |
| 5 | 61 | 35 | 17 | 10 | 8 |
The players are in the tunnel!
What a noise inside the stadium!
Warmups complete!
Both teams have finished their warmups and we are just minutes away from kick-off in the last Clásico of the season!
Hansi Flick to TV ahead of kick-off
"After the defeat in Milan, it's good to play this game. It's the last chance for Real to come back in LaLiga but we want to also, it's a fight for 3 points and we want to get them."
Ancelotti's pre-game comments:
“In this type of game, you have to do things well and defend well because Barcelona pin you back in your own half, but when you have the ball you have to take advantage of their weaknesses because no team is perfect. They've had a great season, but there's a lot at stake and you have to manage the small details, the tempo, defend and attack well. All the little details, as in all the Clásicos.”
“In the last two years we've done well at set pieces. We have two very good crossers in Modrić and Arda and very good headers like Tchouameni, but we're missing Rüdiger, who has scored a lot of goals from set pieces. There are many important aspects: how to hurt them in their high line in transitions and being aware of offside. We've worked on it and talked about it with the players. If they listen to me, it will work out well.”
“Winning a league is very difficult, not as difficult as winning the Champions League, but it needs consistency and the fact that it can be achieved explains perfectly well what tomorrow's match will be like. Both teams have a lot at stake. If they win tomorrow, they will have a better chance of winning it than us, but if we win, the league opens up and anything can happen in the last three games.”
Will this man shine again against Barcelona?
Between PSG and Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappé has scored 8 goals in 7 games against Barcelona.
He will be a key man in attack for Real Madrid today, and they need him more than ever.
A reminder of the starting XIs:
FC BARCELONA
GK: Szczesny
DEF: Eric - Cubarsí - Martínez - Martín
MID: De Jong - Pedri - Olmo
ATT: Lamine Yamal - Ferran - Raphinha
REAL MADRID:
GK: Courtois
DEF: Lucas - Asencio - Tchouaméni - Fran García
MID: Valverde - Ceballos - Arda Güler - Bellingham
ATT: Mbappé - Vini Jr
Marco Luzzani / Getty Images
Who to watch: Barcelona
A young prodigy, a quick dribbler, a goal machine, a constant runner, a defender's nightmare... it's Ferran Torres.
In Robert Lewandowski’s absence, Ferran Torres has shown himself to be more than an adequate replacement. ‘The Shark’ has scored 3 goals in 5 games while the Pole has sat out due to injury, and Barcelona have missed him a lot less than was anticipated.
He leads the line well, presses relentlessly and although he’s not got the physicality or experience of Lewandowski, Ferran has shown that he is no slouch in a team for which a potential treble was on the cards earlier in the season.
Have your say!
We've got a live poll up on our official Twitter account and I want you to choose who you think is going to win today. If you're feeling brave, drop a scoreline below and I'll tell you why you're wrong.
Hansi Flick pre-game comments:
“The Clásico is hugely important, and the staff, players, and club all want to win it" he continued. "We have the energy to get the victory. That’ll be our intention from the first whistle. We must show confidence ... We’re not thinking about the standings; that’s not our concern. The only thing that matters is winning.”
“In games like this you have to raise your level. We want to see intensity and to dominate the pitch. The players are working very hard and believe in our ideas. I hope we can win this title that’s still within our reach. We are playing at home and have our supporters with us, who give us so much backing when we need it most.”
“They’re a fantastic team who will also give absolutely everything to win ... We must be ready to deal with both sides of their game. They can press man-to-man and are strong on the break, and they have an outstanding defensive style. That is what we’ll see this Sunday.”
Half an hour to go!
The two teams have been on the pitch for their pre-game snoop around and the warmups should be underway any time now!
Look who's here!
It's Philadelphia Eagles star DeVonta Smith! He has been presented with his very own FC Barcelona shirt and looks visibly delighted about it.
"I'm looking forward to the match today; i's my first soccer game and I'm very excited. Visca Barça!", he told club media.
REALMADRID.COM / DIARIO AS
Who to watch: Rodrygo
Rodrygo is my man to watch during today’s game. If you raised your eyebrows at that then I’m glad: that’s exactly why I picked him.
The formRodrygo has shown recently is nowhere near the levels that we know and have come to love, with his ability to change a game unquestionable but lacking in what feels like forever.
That's exactly why he's been dropped from the team and Arda Güler has taken his place in the starting XI.
Now is the time for him to step up on the right, with a 1vs1 battle against either Balde or Gerard Martín the perfect scenario to get fired up and show what you’re made of. His future at the club has also been questioned, and in these tough moments for a player there is no better response than making people close their mouths.
And now Real Madrid arrive at Montjuïc
If the Barcelona players looked serious, the Real Madrid squad look positively furious as they make their way off the bus and into the ground ahead of this enticing crunch tie against their eternal rivals.
Here’show you can watch the game today, if you’re in the United States. There are various ways to catch the action, whether on your TV or streaming device, but make sure to stay tuned to the AS USA live feed for the latest information as it comes in.
Our very own Paul Reidy was on hand to take you through a dramatic final in front of a packed house at the Estadio de La Cartuja that saw Barcelona come from Behind to win their 32nd Copa del Rey.
A Jules Kounde goal in the 116th minute saw Barcelona secure a dramatic 3-2 win over Real Madrid in the last meeting between the two sides.
Barcelona won a record extending 32nd Spanish Cup title thanks to a stunning strike from the French defender, who slotted home as the game seemed destined for a penalty shoot out with the clock ticking down.
In a roller coaster of a final, Barcelona were the better side in the first half and led after Pedri put them ahead in the 28th minute with a brilliant strike.
Kylian Mbappe made an entrance after the break and immediately lifted Real Madrid and it was the French striker who drew 'Los Blancos' level with a 70th minute freekick.
There was still time for more drama as Tchouameni nodded Madrid ahead seven minutes later before Ferran Torres found the equaliser in a counter attack in the 84th minute that took the game to extra time.
Barcelona are not wearing their usual Spotify logo on their shirt today. As has been the case in various high-profile Clásicos over the years, they’ve decided to give music artists a go on the front of the blaugrana.
This time around it’s the turn of Travis Scott, who will see his ‘Cactus Jack’ logo emblazoned on the front of the kit this week. We’ve seen Drake, Coldplay, Rosalía, The Rolling Stones and Karol G all on there, and they’ve all been a huge commercial success for the club.
Real Madrid’s Brazilian winger is set to sign a new contract at the club in a deal that would see him stay there until 2030. The numbers, as you might expect, are simply astronomical, with Real Madrid apparently willing to pay $22.5 million net annually.
For comparison, the club has stated that Mbappé earns around $16.9 million per season—excluding a substantial signing bonus that is effectively spread across his five-year contract.
Vinicius’s contract includes major performance-based incentives. In addition to bonuses for team achievements, there are personal targets—such as reaching a set number of goals or winning individual awards like the Ballon d’Or or The Best. Winning The Best, for example, earned him an additional $2.25 million on top of his $16.9 million base salary.
BARCELONA XI REVEALED
It's as we expected from Hansi Flick, who goes with his strongest available starting XI for the game today.
Lewandowski is not fit to start, but Iñigo Martínez has made the cut.
Real Madrid's recent form
· LaLiga: Real Madrid 3-2 Celta WIN
· LaLiga: Getafe 0-1 Real Madrid WIN
· LaLiga: Real Madrid 1-0 Athletic Club WIN
· UCL: Real Madrid 1-2 Arsenal LOSS
· LaLiga: Alavés 0-1 Real Madrid WIN
· UCL: Arsenal 3-0 Real Madrid LOSS
Madrid to wear white
Unlike their opponents, there are no special kits for Los Blancos today, who will be trotting around the pitch in their famous all-white strip as they look for three crucial points in this insanely tense title race.
Barcelona squad arrive at the stadium
The sun is shining and it's serious faces all round as Barcelona's squad make their way through the belly of the Montjuïc stadium.
REAL MADRID STARTING XI REVEALED
The big, big news is that Rodrygo has made way for Arda Güler, who has been given a mammoth-sized chance to make a name for himself in this Madrid team.
Daniel Gonzalez / EFE
Is Ancelotti set to say goodbye?
As is not uncommon in Real Madrid World©, their manager has seen his future heavily questioned and it has been strongly suggested that this could well be Carlo’s final Clásico as head of the club. Results this season haven’t been great and there have also been grumblings from lots of people about the style of play that he has aimed to impose on the team.
While nothing has been confirmed, the latest rumours seem to suggest that Ancelotti could be on his way out of Real Madrid as soon as next week, with Xabi Alonso set to take his place as the Italian joins the Brazilian national team. I’ll believe it when I see it, but a wobbly result today would certainly push those 50/50 fans over the edge…
Barcelona's recent form
· UCL: Inter 4-3 Barcelona LOSS
· LaLiga: Real Valladolid 1-2 Barcelona WIN
· UCL: Barcelona 3-3 Inter DRAW
· Copa: Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid WIN
· LaLiga: Barcelona 1-0 Mallorca WIN
· LaLiga: Barcelona 4-3 Celta WIN
How things look in LaLiga
Here’s a look at the LaLiga table ahead of the game, and you can instantly see why the pressure is on for both sides going into the match. Barcelona are, after showing relentless - dare I say ‘title-winning’ - form, they sit 4 points ahead of Los Blancos on the same number of games.
A win today for them and it’s a 7-point lead with just 3 fixtures to go.
Conversely, a Real Madrid victory cuts the lead to just one point and gives Ancelotti’s side the perfect boost of momentum to finish the season and possibly claw another game back against a wounded Barça.
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 79 | 34 | 25 | 4 | 5 |
| 2 | 75 | 34 | 23 | 6 | 5 |
| 3 | 70 | 35 | 20 | 10 | 5 |
| 4 | 61 | 34 | 16 | 13 | 5 |
| 5 | 61 | 35 | 17 | 10 | 8 |
Barcelona not at their usual home
Those of you with forward facing eyes will have noticed that we’re not at Spotify Camp Nou today, but instead what appears to be the 1992 Olympic Stadium, and you’d be right. Barcelona are, while their famous stadium undergoes a much-needed redevelopment, bringing us back to the 90s with their stadium choice, the old Olympic venue that sits atop Montjuïc and overlooks the city.
While the 50,000+ capacity is not insignificant, it’s fairly flat at the best of times and nothing compared to the scarily steep stairs of their old haunting ground.
JESUS ALVAREZ ORIHUELA / DIARIO AS
Who's the ref?
The lucky man with the whistle today is Señor Hernández Hernández, so good at refereeing they named him twice. He’s a UEFA regular, and has overseen his fair share of Clásicos across the season.
In fact, he was the man in charge of the game that saw Messi grab a late, late winner at the Bernabéu, the one where he held his shirt to the crowd in that now famous photo.
Barcelona team news
As for Flick’s squad, he will be without Jules Koundé and Marc Bernal.
The good news is that Balde and Casadó are back, with Lewandowski, Iñigo Martínez and Torre all potentially ready to see some minutes, although we wouldn’t bet the keys to AS USA towers on that.
Real Madrid team news
We’ve got the usual suspects out for Real Madrid this afternoon, as all of Militão, Carvajal, and Alaba are all out as well as Camavinga and Mendy.
Back-line leader Antonio Rüdiger is also missing from today’s squad due to suspension for being a naughty boy in their Clásico Copa del Rey final. If you’ve got your boots and shin pads, can play centre-back and live within 10 miles of Montjuïc, give Carlo a call.
Here we go!
Hello and welcome to AS USA’s live coverage of the biggest game in football: Barcelona vs Real Madrid.
There is nothing less than a league title on the line today as we approach kick-off in the biggest game remaining in the league calendar for both sides.
It’s Joe here on duty to take you through the pre-game chit-chat, minute-by-minute live coverage and post-final whistle aftermath. Stay tuned.