Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Match preview, head-to-head, team news, key players

Real Madrid host rivals Barcelona in the La Liga at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday afternoon in the biggest fixture across the top five leagues in Europe.

Real Madrid secured a hard-fought victory at Getafe in their last league fixture, reclaiming top spot from Barcelona .

Barcelona had earlier leapfrogged them with a last-gasp win against Girona.

Madrid have had a good start to the season under manager Xabi Alonso, suffering just one defeat across all competitions.

They have the highest expected goals (xG) in the Spanish top-flight, but have scored four fewer goals than Barcelona , the division’s top scorers.

However, they have been defensively vulnerable, conceding nine goals in nine games, with injuries preventing Alonso from finding his best back four.

Similarly, Barcelona have their defensive frailties, conceding one more goal than Madrid.

Opposition teams now find it easier to exploit manager Hansi Flick’s high line, and the departure of defender Inigo Martinez has further weakened Barcelona’s backline.

With the two teams’ defensive frailties, this fixture should be exciting.

Madrid have won the El Clasico 106 times, while Barcelona have triumphed on 104 occasions and there have been 51 draws between them.

Real Madrid are set to welcome back Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Dani Ceballos but David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger and Ferland Mendy are ruled out.

Raphinha is back for Barcelona , but goalkeepers Andre Ter Stegen and Joan Garcia, as well as Robert Lewandowski, Gavi, and Dani Olmo, remain ruled out.

Kylian Mbappe : The French forward is La Liga’s most in-form forward, scoring 10 goals in nine matches.

Vinicius Junior : The Brazilian has recovered from his slow start, providing six goal involvements in his last five league games.

Lamine Yamal : The young Spanish forward has five goal contributions in seven games against Madrid.

Pedri : The 22-year-old has been the league’s best central midfielder since the start of last season.

Stats from fbref.com, transfermarkt.com & sofascore.com