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WHO: Barcelona vs Real Madrid
What: League
Where: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
When: Sunday at 9pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We will have all the construction Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT before our announcement.
With the Champions League upset fading but not forgotten, Barcelona will look to claim back-to-back La Liga titles on Sunday when they host rivals Real Madrid.
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To lead at 11 pointsHansi Flick’s side only need a draw in the Clasico to become champions again, although a win against a struggling Los Blancos side would see them set the record – and celebrate in style.
If Barcelona win their last four league games this season, starting with the battle against Alvaro Arbeloa’s fracturing Madrid, they will equal the all-time league record of 100 points.
This was first achieved by Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid in 2011-12 and followed a season later by Tito Vilanova’s Barca.
Madrid’s season, meanwhile, has spread in several directions. The leader Xabi Alonso was fired midway through the campaign and his successor Arbeloa has failed to prevent the team from entering a second consecutive year without a trophy.
Real faced the Champions League quarterfinal exit at Bayern Munich, they lost to Albacete in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey, and now they are looking to delay Barcelona’s La Liga celebrations by recording a second win for Flick’s side this season.
But Madrid went into the Clasico amid internal turmoil, with Federico Valverde saying he needed to get lost the last part of the course and Aurelien Tchouameni, one of such events.
‘I see the team is good’
This is the first Clasico at the partially rebuilt Camp Nou in more than three years.
Only once in the history of the Clasico has the title been decided by the results of the match, as will happen again this Sunday.
Real Madrid won their first league title in 36 games when they drew 2-2 against Barcelona in the 1931-32 season to claim the title.
Barca’s 29 wins so far this season are the most of any side at the moment, and if they win their last four games, they will break the record of 32 wins in a single season, shared by Mourinho and Vilanova.
If Barça beat Madrid and Real Betis the following week, they will become the first team to win all of their home games in 38 La Liga games.
“I see the team in good shape, very focused – we are all looking forward to playing the Clasico,” Barca defender Jules Kounde said this week.
“We can win La Liga with a draw, but a win would be very good.”
Real Madrid have given money to Tchouameni and Valverde for the interference
Los Blancos announced on Friday he had paid the fine Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde 500,000 euros ($588,000) each after an on-field brawl that left the latter needing medical treatment.
The club did not impose game penalties on the two players, saying the fines “finally complete the internal procedures” they had initiated.
Madrid said both players had “expressed their full regret for what happened and apologized to each other” as they participated in the club’s investigation.
Uruguayan midfielder Valverde wanted to reduce the intensity of the conflict with the French midfielder.
“The difficulty of the competition and the disappointment made things worse,” Valverde wrote on social media, expressing his sadness at the incident on social media.
He said: “I accidentally hit a table in the middle of the argument, causing a small gash on my forehead that required regular hospital visits. “At no time did my friend hit me, and I never hit him.”
A recent review of several events
This follows another issue that was reported between defenders Antonio Rudiger and Alvaro Carreras two weeks ago, which the latter said he had resolved.
At one point, veteran right-back Dani Carvajal, frustrated by his lack of minutes, appeared to taunt Trent Alexander-Arnold, who he deemed ineffective in defence.
Mbappe, a doubt for the Clasico due to a hip injury, was present heavily criticized by fans after vacationing in Sardinia during his recovery.
Even coach Arbeloa, who supported his winners with kid gloves, showed that he wants to give more.
“We didn’t build Real Madrid with players who play in tuxedos, but with players who finish matches with shirts full of sweat and mud, with hard work and dedication,” Arbeloa said after Madrid beat Espanyol without Mbappe, slowing Barca’s celebrations.
To make matters worse, president Florentino Perez is eyeing a major change in management, with former coach Jose Mourinho linked with a return to the Santiago Bernabeu.
What happened when the two sides met?
Barcelona retained the Spanish Super Cup with gusto 3-2 The Classic win against Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia in January.
Raphinha struck twice for the Catalans, with Robert Lewandowski also on target as he beat Xabi Alonso’s side to a 16th win, despite Frenkie de Jong receiving a late red card.
What happened in their last La Liga match?
Goals from Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham gave Real Madrid a 2-1 win over Barcelona in El Clasico in October that saw them lose four matches against their fellow football team.
Kylian Mbappe, who later missed a penalty, fired Madrid in front, and although Fermin Lopez put the visitors in the lead at the Santiago Bernabeu, Bellingham scored a second goal for the hosts before half-time, which was guaranteed.
Head to head
The two clubs have locked horns 263 times; Real Madrid have won 107 of these matches, Barcelona won 105, while 51 meetings ended in draws.
The last five events:
- January 11, 2026: Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid (Spanish Super Cup final)
- October 26, 2025: Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona (La Liga)
- May 11, 2025: Barcelona 4-3 Real Madrid (La Liga)
- April 26, 2025: Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid (Copa del Rey final)
- January 12, 2025: Real Madrid 2-5 Barcelona (Spanish Super Cup final)
News about the Barcelona team
Barça are without young star Lamine Yamal, who has been out for several weeks with a stomach injury.
The team is in strong form, with defender Andreas Christensen returning to training after a long lay-off with a knee problem and Brazilian winger Raphinha returning to the bench last week after injury, but did not feature in the win at Osasuna that moved Barca into the final round of the title.
Predictions from XI:
Joan Garcia (goalkeeper); Kounde, Cubarsi, Martin, Cancelo; Eric Garcia, Pedro; Rashford, Gavi, Fermin; Lewandowski
News about the Real Madrid team
Los Blancos are waiting to see if star striker Kylian Mbappe can play after his hamstring problem.
Thibaut Courtois was deemed fit to play, a big boost for Madrid.
Dani Carvajal, Rodrygo, Arda Guler, Ferland Mendy and Eder Militao are all injured.
Valverde will also miss the match due to a head injury sustained in the clash with Tchouameni. The club said he would be out for two weeks.
Tchouameni took part in training on Friday and could be available at Camp Nou this week.
Predictions from XI:
Courtois (goalkeeper); Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Fran Garcia; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Pitarch; Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappe
