Barcelona and Real Madrid resume hostilities on Sunday with the first Clasico of this season.
Hansi Flick’s hosts are top of the league with a perfect nine wins from nine so far, although they suffered their first defeat in all competitions midweek this season as they were beaten 4-2 by PSG in the Champions League group stage.
It’s been a less dreamy start to the campaign for Real Madrid, who are six points off their fierce rivals in La Liga and down in third place - but with an attacking line which is beginning to fire and fresh from a 4-1 win over RB Leizpig.
Barca have the edge over Real in their recent clashes, winning six of their last seven encounters in all competitions, and haven’t lost at home to Jose Mourinho’s men in three years.
Follow latest updates from Camp Nou with our liveblog below:
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Is Barcelona v Real Madrid on TV? How to watch El Clasico in the UK
Barcelona v Real Madrid tension is building and El Clasico can light a furious fuse
El Clasico live
- Barcelona host Real Madrid in first Clasico of season | Live on Premier Sports, KO 8pm GMT
- '41 GOAL! Mbappe puts visitors ahead from poor Martin clearance [FCB 0-1 RMA]
- '33 CLOSE! Mbappe overhits spectacular acrobatic kick [FCB 0-0 RMA]
- Hansi Flick's Barca are top of La Liga, Real six points back
- Preview: Barcelona v Real Madrid tension is building and El Clasico can light a furious fuse
- Barcelona XI: Joan García; João Cancelo, Pau Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Xavi Espart; Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Fermín López, Gordon; Raphinha.
- Real Madrid XI: Lunin; Valverde, Konaté, Huijsen, Cucurella; Bernardo Silva, Tchouaméni; Arda Güler, Bellingham, Diomande; Mbappé.
Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid
21:13 , Flo Clifford‘49: Gordon cuts in on the left and finds a pocket of space, but has not teammates immediately around him... but it’s worked to Lamine on the opposite flank, who darts around Huijsen and has a shot blocked for a corner. He gestures to the home fans to make a bit more noise...
Raphinha’s corner is headed away by Huijsen.
Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid
21:10 , Flo Clifford‘46: Tchouameni gets the first yellow of the day for a crunching lunge on Cubarsi.
SECOND HALF: Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid
21:09 , Flo CliffordAway we go!
Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid
21:08 , Flo CliffordAbout to get underway for the second half. Real Madrid have been made to wait by Guler and Bellingham, to Mbappe’s vocal displeasure, but they eventually get their house in order and back on the pitch.
HALF-TIME: Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid
20:51 , Flo Clifford‘45+2: Pedri lays it off for Lamine but he slips, gets back up and tries to recover, but Real Madrid close him down.
The visitors lead at the break! It feels deserved - Barca have looked quite ragged and Cucurella, who probably should be on a yellow, has kept Lamine fairly quiet.
OFF THE POST! Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid
20:50 , Flo Clifford‘45+2: Mbappe flies down the left and has a nearly open goal at his mercy as Barca’s high line are left for dead - but it cannons off the post! He was offside anyway.
Now Diomande whacks it into the side-netting, a poor finish there, plenty of power but nowhere near the target.
Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid
20:48 , Flo Clifford‘45: Rodri pokes the ball between a defender’s legs but his low attempt falls comfortably for Lunin.
Two minutes added on to this half.
Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid
20:47 , Flo Clifford‘44: That’s Mbappe’s 10th goal of the season so far. Now Barca come straight back at them, but Lamine’s attempt to whip it in at the near post just fizzes wide!
GOAL! Barcelona 0-1 Real Madrid
20:45 , Flo Clifford‘41: Real Madrid break the deadlock! Cucurella breaks from deep, lays it off for Diomande, who its left unmarked by Rodri... Gerard Martin makes a sideways clearance but it cannons off Mbappe and into the back of the net!
Even Mourinho looks bemused at that!
Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:41 , Flo Clifford‘38: Lamine and Cucurella get in a tangle and both go to ground, to the fury of the home support. Raphinha and Mbappe both go to the referee in protest, the former complaining that Cucurella has committed enough fouls to go into the book - but still no one has been shown a card so far.
Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:37 , Flo Clifford‘33: Madrid switch off entirely and Raphinha is left unmarked, but luckily for them, fizzes his effort into the side-netting.
Now Guler chips a lovely ball forward for Mbappe, who goes for a spectacular acrobatic kick on the volley, but it’s off target!
Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:33 , Flo Clifford‘30: Espart’s day comes to a premature end as he gets cleared out in an awkward challenge and is on the turf grimacing. He’s replaced by Balde.
Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:31 , Flo Clifford‘28: Joan Garcia comes miles out of his area to hook the ball clear under pressure from Mbappe. This has felt like quite a nervy half-hour for a lot of players, on both sides.
Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:29 , Flo Clifford‘26: Guler goes for a speculative effort which takes a nick behind for a corner. He tries to tee up Tchouameni but Barca clear.
WIDE! Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:27 , Flo Clifford‘24: End to end stuff! Gordon and Raphinha play a lovely one-two, the former Newcastle man hooking it back to the Brazilian, but he lashes into the side-netting!
Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:25 , Flo Clifford‘22: Fermin hooks the ball over a couple of white shirts and Barca continue to move up the pitch, Lamine cutting in and trying to create something but eventually closed down.
Now Pedri darts into the box and lays it off for Raphinha, but the Brazilian blasts over the bar! Decent chance but angle all wrong.
Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:22 , Flo Clifford‘19: Barcelona have had the majority of possession so far but Real threaten on the counter; Garcia saves from Guler but pushes his attempt back out, and Real win a corner. They take it quickly but it’s eventually sent over the bar by Cancelo, and the next corner is cleared.
Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:19 , Flo Clifford‘16: Gordon drops his shoulder and lets fly a decent attempt but Lunin leaps to save comfortably. He’s had a lively start.
Cucurella has avoided a yellow for that questionable challenge on Fermin and now goes to ground as Lamine jinks and jives around him delightfully, sitting his man down.
Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:16 , Flo Clifford‘14: Real Madrid are already losing their cool a little bit. Diomande isn’t happy he hasn’t been awarded either a penalty or corner after a foul in the box by Rodri; now Cucurella mistimes a challenge on Fermin with the ball miles away.
Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:14 , Flo Clifford‘10: First flashpoint of the game as Tchouameni clips Espart; Hansi Flick isn’t happy and Mourinho in typical fashion is up on his feet and furious, with referee Juan Martinez already heading over to tell him to pipe down.
Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:12 , Flo Clifford‘9: Barca have plenty of players forward; Lamine turns on the edge of the box and plays in Raphinha before cutting in. The youngster curls in a decent effort but Lunin is there, being tested early on in his first appearance of the season.
Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:10 , Flo Clifford‘7: Huijsen’s had a bit of a shaky start, giving away the ball twice in sloppy fashion, but luckily for him Fermin is blocked before he can get away a shot.
Now Gordon’s attempt from the left falls into the arms of Lunin.
Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:08 , Flo Clifford‘5: Pedri gives away possession cheaply and Guler leaps onto it, charging away before blasting a shot over the bar as two defenders close him down. Pedri holds up his hands in apology.
Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:06 , Flo Clifford‘3: Fermin Lopez turns and lays it off for Raphinha, leading the line, on the edge of the box, but he’s crowded out by white shirts.
Huijsen is caught out and Lamine Yamal tries to punish him, but a tame effort rolls straight to Lunin.
Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
20:04 , Flo Clifford‘1: Cucurella, a Barcelona academy product, is roundly booed for his first touch.
Barca have possession early doors while Lunin - in for the indomitable Courtois and getting his first La Liga minutes of the season - has an early sight of it too.
KICK-OFF: Barcelona v Real Madrid
20:03 , Flo CliffordAway we go!
Barcelona v Real Madrid
20:00 , Flo CliffordPyrotechnics, tifos, a packed stadium and an electric atmosphere as always. Moments to go at Camp Nou...
Barcelona v Real Madrid
19:59 , Flo CliffordHere come the teams...
Barcelona v Real Madrid
19:53 , Flo Clifford
Team news
19:50 , Flo CliffordBarcelona XI: Joan Garcia; Joao Cancelo, Pau Cubarsi, Gerard Martin, Xavi Espart; Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Gordon; Raphinha.
Real Madrid XI: Lunin; Valverde, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Bernardo Silva, Tchouameni; Arda Guler, Bellingham, Diomande; Mbappe.
Barcelona v Real Madrid
19:45 , Flo Clifford
Hansi Flick takes charge of eighth Clasico
19:40 , Flo CliffordTonight marks Hansi Flick's eighth Clasico in charge of Barcelona, and the German has a pretty impeccable record, with six wins from the previous seven, including the last two at home.
Barcelona with chance to make history
19:33 , Flo CliffordTonight the hosts have the chance to make La Liga history: victory would give them statistically the best start to a La Liga season ever.
Real Madrid won nine straight games at the start of the 1968/69 season, which Barca have already equalled, so a win would see them go clear of none other than their biggest rivals.
How the table looks
19:26 , Flo CliffordBarcelona are two points clear at the top of La Liga and six points above Real Madrid, down in third, giving this early-season game an even more significant feel than normal. If Jose Mourinho’s men miss the chance to narrow that gap, it does feel as though the title is already slipping away from them...
Real Madrid arrive fresh from thrashing of RB Leipzig
19:17 , Flo CliffordPerformances remain unconvincing but Real Madrid continue to find a way in the Champions League, with a couple of belting goals from Kylian Mbappe and Yann Diomande lighting up the 4-1 win over RB Leipzig.
Somehow with maximum points, despite trailing Roma 3-1 at the Stadio Olimpico, and Inter and Leipzig spurning chances to take the lead at the Bernabeu, the 15-time Champions League winners still carry an aura in this competition and have so far offered a bit of a throwback to the days of Carlo Ancelotti.
Barcelona back in action after first defeat of season
19:08 , Flo CliffordBarcelona’s 11-match winning streak to start the season came to a halt at the Parc des Princes this week and raised the question that could well define their season in the Champions League.
We know about their goalscoring – Hansi Flick’s side reached 50 in just 12 games this season – and the quality of their forward line led by Lamine Yamal and Raphinha.
But whether the defence holds up come the knockout stages is another question. Conceding four against PSG, despite going into the 80th minute level with the hosts in Paris, suggests there is work to do against the very elite before Barcelona can think about winning a first Champions League crown since 2015.
Barcelona v Real Madrid tension is building and El Clasico can light a furious fuse
19:00 , Flo CliffordRefereeing controversies, conspiracies, ‘50,000-page dossiers’ and the return of Jose Mourinho add a sharp edge to the star-studded first Clasico of the season, writes Jamie Braidwood:
Barcelona v Real Madrid tension is building and El Clasico can light a furious fuse
Barcelona XI
18:47 , Flo CliffordBarcelona XI: Joan García; João Cancelo, Pau Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Xavi Espart; Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Fermín López, Gordon; Raphinha.
Substitutes: Szczesny, Livakovic, Balde, Fariñas, Gavi, De Jong, Bernal, Adeyemi, Abdelkarim, Campos, Goren.
🚨 𝗕𝗔𝗥𝗖̧𝗔 𝗫𝗜 🚨 pic.twitter.com/f8sr5dlxg2
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 25, 2026
Thibaut Courtois ruled out with illness
18:44 , Flo CliffordThe big news for Real is keeper Thibaut Courtois is out, with the club saying: “Courtois is a last-minute withdrawal due to a bout of the flu”. Andriy Lunin is on in his place.
Real Madrid XI
18:40 , Flo CliffordReal Madrid XI: Lunin; Valverde, Konaté, Huijsen, Cucurella; Bernardo Silva, Tchouaméni; Arda Güler, Bellingham, Diomande; Mbappé.
Substitutes: Mestre, Illia, Militão, Camavinga, Endrick, Alexander-Arnold, Carreras, Espí, Brahim Díaz, Rüdiger, Dumfries, Thiago.
📋✅ Our starting XI!
🆚 @fcbarcelona pic.twitter.com/M2s4bgGT84
How can I watch it?
18:33 , Flo CliffordViewers in the UK can watch the game on Premier Sports 1.
Predicted line-ups
18:25 , Flo CliffordBarcelona XI: Joan Garcia, Espart, Martin, Pau Cubarsi, Cancelo, Pedri, Rodri, Adeyemi, Lopez, Yamal, Gabriel Jesus
Real Madrid XI: Courtois, Cucurella, Huijsen, Konate, Valverde, Tchouameni, Guler, Diomande, Bellingham, Endrick, Mbappe
Team news
18:18 , Flo CliffordBarcelona’s Dani Olmo picked up an injury in the defeat to PSG and joins Eric Garcia and Jules Kounde on the sidelines.
Real Madrid will be without the suspended Vinicius Jr after he was sent off against Villareal and handed a four-game ban for violent conduct following a hair-pull on Nathan Saliba. The visitors will also be missing injured defender Raul Asencio.
When is Barcelona v Real Madrid?
18:11 , Flo CliffordBarcelona host Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday 25 October, with kick-off at 8pm GMT.
Barcelona v Real Madrid
18:05 , Flo CliffordBarcelona and Real Madrid resume their bitter rivalry with the first El Clasico of this LaLiga campaign.
Hansi Flick’s side have the upper hand in the top flight so far, with a perfect run of nine wins from nine, while Jose Mourinho’s visitors sit third, six points off top spot having won seven and lost two.
Barca ran out 5-2 winners in an entertaining clash with 10-man Real Betis last time out, with Lamine Yamal, Rodri and Dani Olmo all on the scoresheet, while Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Real beat Sevilla 4-1.
Whatever happens it is likely to be a dramatic, all-out-attacking game: Barcelona lost 4-2 to holders PSG in a Champions League thriller on Tuesday while Madrid put four past RB Leipzig, who scored a late consolation goal, on Wednesday night.
Barcelona v Real Madrid
18:00 , Flo CliffordGood evening and welcome to live coverage of Barcelona v Real Madrid.
It’s the first Clasico of this season and as ever there is plenty of drama around it, after an escalating war of words in the build-up...
We’ll have all the latest updates here.
