Real Madrid vs Barcelona: date, how to watch Clásico online and on TV

Real Madrid and Barcelona meet in the first Clásico of the season this weekend, with top spot in LaLiga Santander at stake.

Follow the match between Real Madrid - Barcelona here

What time is Real Madrid vs Barcelona?

The 2022/23 LaLiga matchday-nine clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona kicks off at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, at 4:15pm local time (CEST) on Sunday 16 October 2022. In the United States, that’s 10:15am ET/7:15am PT. Find out when the Clásico starts if you’re in a different time zone.

How can I watch the Clásico in the US?

In the US, you can watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona on the online streaming service ESPN+. The platform costs $6.99 a month, or $69.99 for an annual subscription. If you aren’t in the States, check out which TV channel or internet platform is broadcasting the Clásico where you are.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: live with AS USA

You also have the option of following Real Madrid vs Barcelona with AS USA’s coverage of the Clásico. We’ll have a live-text feed with all the buildup throughout the day, and when kickoff time comes, we’ll be bringing you minute-by-minute updates on the major action at the Bernabéu.

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Real Madrid vs Barcelona: match preview

Barcelona head to the Bernabéu as LaLiga leaders, edging Real Madrid into second on goal difference - but spirits are not high in Catalonia, after Xavi Hernández’s men were all but knocked out of the Champions League in midweek. Wednesday’s 3-3 home draw with Inter Milan may have provided exactly the kind of entertainment that the European competition’s group stage is frequently and justifiably accused of lacking, but that will be scant consolation to Barça. They now need Lady Luck to do them a solid of almost unfathomable proportions if they’re to qualify for the last 16 ahead of the Italians.

Domestically, however, Barça’s results have been rather better. Thanks in no small part to summer signing Robert Lewandowski, who has knocked in nine goals in his first eight LaLiga games for the club, the Blaugrana haven’t dropped a point since their opening-matchday draw with Rayo Vallecano. Their unbeaten start to the league campaign is also largely down to a stingy defence that has conceded just one top-flight goal so far.

As for Real Madrid, they approach the 185th LaLiga Clásico having reached the Champions League knockout stages with two games to spare this week. The Spanish and European champions appeared set for their first defeat of the season against Shakhtar Donetsk on Wednesday, but Antonio Rüdiger’s last-gasp header rescued a point in Warsaw and confirmed Los Blancos’ qualification from Group F.

Madrid - who led LaLiga until they drew with Osasuna earlier this month - are not only out to move back ahead of Barça, but are also tasked with avenging the heavy defeat they suffered the last time they met their arch rivals at the Bernabéu. That 4-0 hammering in March ended a sequence of five consecutive Clásico victories for Madrid, and Barça now have the opportunity to win back-to-back games against Los Vikingos for the first time since March 2019.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: last five meetings

Who is the referee for the Clásico?

The referee in the Spanish capital will be José María Sánchez Martínez. The 39-year-old, who will be taking charge of his sixth Clásico, will be assisted by Raúl Cabañero Martínez and Juan López Mir. The fourth official at the Bernabéu will be Jorge Díaz Escudero, and the video assistant referee will be Alejandro Hernández Hernández.

Video: The history of El Clásico