Key events
Some essential pre-match reading, from Sid Lowe.
Barcelona (4-2-3-1): Joan García; João Cancelo, Pau Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Xavi Espart; Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Fermín López, Gordon; Raphinha.
Subs: Szczesny, Livakovic, Balde, Fariñas, Gavi, De Jong, Bernal, Adeyemi, Abdelkarim, Campos, Goren.
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Lunin; Valverde (c), Konaté, Huijsen, Cucurella; Tchouameni, Bernardo Silva; Diomande, Bellingham, Arda Güler; Mbappé.
Subs: Mestre, Illia, Militão, Camavinga, Endrick, Alexander-Arnold, Carreras, Espí, Brahim Díaz, Rüdiger, Dumfries, Thiago.
Tonight’s game also takes place against a weekend of unrest in Barcelona. There were 128 arrests overnight for acts of “vandalism, damage to public property and looting” in the city centre, according to the regional Catalan police.
The match is still going ahead, with an increased security presence already in place after the game was deemed “high-risk” by police last week. Back in 2019, this fixture was postponed due to protests in Barcelona.
We’ll have full team news shortly, but Real Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois has already been ruled out of tonight’s game due to illness. “Courtois is a last-minute withdrawal (from the squad) due to a bout of the flu,” Madrid said in a statement. The Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin is set to step in for Mourinho’s side.
Preamble
Is the clásico making a comeback? A bitter rivalry that has raged for more than a century, Barcelona v Real Madrid may have been the world’s biggest sporting fixture during the era of Ronaldo and Messi, Mourinho and Guardiola. Incredibly skilful players dragged into extraordinarily spiteful on-pitch battles, each game felt like a heavyweight title fight.
These two teams remain the dominant forces in Spain, and their mutual hatred of one another is still very much intact. Still, the clásico has lost some of its intensity in recent years – but there are signs it may be coming back. Chief among those signs is Mourinho’s dramatic return to Real Madrid, where he is rebuilding the media war that wore both coaches out at the end of the rivalry’s unmissable age.
There is also, crucially, a touch of jeopardy about tonight’s game, particularly for the visitors. Hansi Flick’s Barcelona have started the league season with nine straight wins and are six points ahead of Madrid; that gap could be nine points, or three points, after tonight’s events at Camp Nou. The outcome may depend on Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé, two exceptional players poised to dominate this derby for the next decade.
In short, the biggest game in world football is back. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT, 9pm local time, so get comfortable.
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