<body><div><p><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=46tVki_0wMpfmi300" style="display:none" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=46tVki_0wMpfmi300" width="912" height="513" ></p><p><em><strong> El Clasico </strong></em><strong> returns for the 2024/25 season on Saturday night as Real Madrid host bitter rivals Barcelona in La Liga. </strong></p><p><a href="https://www.90min.com/teams/real-madrid" rel="nofollow"> Madrid </a> may be the defending La Liga champions but it's <a href="https://www.90min.com/teams/barca" rel="nofollow"> Barcelona </a> that have made the more eye-catching start to the season. They have lost just two games under new boss Hansi Flick, with only one of those coming in the league. That leaves them three points ahead of their <em> Clasico </em> rivals after ten matches. </p><p> But recent history favours Los Blancos in this high-profile fixture with four competitive victories on the bounce, including two late Jude Bellingham-inspired wins in La Liga last season. Madrid know they can move level on points with Barcelona should they taste victory this weekend but there are also significant bragging rights up for grabs in the derby. </p><p> Both sides enjoyed handsome victories over German giants in the Champions League midweek to ready themselves for Saturday's affair. </p><p> Madrid overcame a two-goal half-time deficit thanks to a Vinicius Junior hat-trick in a <a href="https://www.90min.com/real-madrid-5-2-borussia-dortmund-player-ratings-22-10-24" rel="nofollow"> 5-2 win over Borussia Dortmund </a> in a repeat of last season's Champions League final. Barca were even more convincing in their <a href="https://www.90min.com/barcelona-4-1-bayern-munich-player-ratings-champions-league-23-10-24" rel="nofollow"> 4-1 demolition of Bayern Munich </a> and it was Vinicius' Brazil team-mate Raphinha that finished the victory with a triple of his own. </p><p> Here is <em> 90min's </em> guide to the first <em> Clasico </em> of the campaign. </p><hr><h2> What time does Real Madrid vs Barcelona kick-off? </h2><ul><li><strong> Location </strong> : Madrid, Spain </li><li><strong> Stadium </strong> : Estadio Santiago Bernabeu </li><li><strong> Date </strong> : Saturday 26 October </li><li><strong> Kick-off Time </strong> : 20:00 BST / 15:00 ET / 12:00 PT </li><li><strong> Referee </strong> : Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez </li><li><strong> VAR </strong> : Alejandro Muniz Ruiz </li></ul><hr><h3> Real Madrid vs Barcelona H2H Record (Last Five Games) </h3><ul><li><strong> Real Madrid </strong> : 4 wins </li><li><strong> Barcelona </strong> : 1 win </li><li><strong> Draws </strong> : 0 </li></ul><ul><li><a href="https://www.90min.com/real-madrid-3-2-barcelona-player-ratings-21-4-24" rel="nofollow"><strong> Last meeting: Real Madrid 3-2 Barcelona (21 April 2024) - La Liga </strong></a></li></ul><hr><h3> Current form (all competitions) </h3><hr><h2> How to watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona on TV and live stream </h2><hr><h2> Real Madrid team news </h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4cH9DY_0wMpfmi300" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4cH9DY_0wMpfmi300" width="912" height="513" ><figcaption>Thibaut Courtois is sidelined with a new injury | Denis Doyle/GettyImages </figcaption></figure><p> The victory over Dortmund midweek did take its toll on the Madrid squad. <a href="https://www.90min.com/real-madrid-confirm-devastating-double-injury-blow-el-clasico" rel="nofollow"> Both goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and winger Rodrygo suffered injuries </a> in the clash and will be sidelined for the next few weeks. </p><p> As a result, Ancelotti may well resort to the 4-3-1-2 system that was so impactful last season, with Andriy Lunin replacing Courtois in goal and Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior leading the line. </p><p> David Alaba and Dani Carvajal remain long-term absentees in the backline but Brahim Diaz is edging closer to a return having missed over a month of action. The Morocco international could be on the bench at the weekend. </p><hr><h2> Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Barcelona </h2><p><strong> Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Barcelona (4-3-1-2) </strong> : Lunin; Vazquez, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappe. </p><hr><h2> Barcelona team news </h2><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2AVwoC_0wMpfmi300" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2AVwoC_0wMpfmi300" width="912" height="513" ><figcaption>Dani Olmo returned from the bench against Bayern | Ion Alcoba Beitia/GettyImages </figcaption></figure><p> Flick still finds himself with an array of fitness concerns prior to the trip to Madrid, with Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia and goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen missing in the backline. Further forward, youngster Marc Bernal and the experienced Ferran Torres are also sidelined. </p><p> Barcelona have welcomed a few important midfielders back into the mix over the past few weeks with Dani Olmo returning to the fold from the bench against Bayern. Gavi has also received a handful of minutes in the last two games having been missing since November 2023 and Frenkie de Jong has featured from the bench in three of the last four matches. </p><p><a href="https://www.90min.com/how-raphinha-has-gone-from-barcelona-outcast-to-all-conquering-captain" rel="nofollow"> Raphinha has been in magnificent form this season </a> and scored a second hat-trick of the campaign midweek. He will line up alongside Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal and potentially Fermin Lopez as part of a front four. </p><hr><h2><a href="https://www.90min.com/barcelona-predicted-lineup-vs-real-madrid-la-liga-26-10-24" rel="nofollow"> Barcelona predicted lineup vs Real Madrid </a></h2><p><strong> Barcelona predicted lineup vs Real Madrid (4-2-3-1) </strong> : Pena; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martinez, Balde; Casado, Pedri; Yamal, Fermin, Raphinha; Lewandowski. </p><hr><h2> Real Madrid vs Barcelona score prediction </h2><p> Expect fireworks at the Santiago Bernabeu in one of the most evenly-contested <em> Clasicos </em> of recent times. Both sides are blessed with immense firepower in the final third while looking susceptible at the back, which should result in a hatful of goals in the Spanish capital. </p><p> This one really could go either way and may well be decided by an individual moment of magic. The draw would be the safe prediction but the points haven't been shared in a <em> Clasico </em> since December 2019 during a goalless draw at Camp Nou. </p><p> With Barca having been just that bit more convincing than Madrid this season, we fancy them to nick an important away victory in Flick's first competitive taste of this fixture and bring Madrid's recent <em> Clasico </em> dominance to an end. </p><h3> Prediction: Real Madrid 2-3 Barcelona </h3><hr><h3> READ THE LATEST LA LIGA NEWS, RUMOURS &amp; GOSSIP </h3><br><p> This article was originally published on 90min.com as <a href="https://www.90min.com/real-madrid-vs-barcelona-preview-predictions-and-lineups-26-10-24?utm_source=RSS" rel="nofollow"> Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Preview, predictions and lineups </a> . </p></div></body>

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Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Preview, predictions and lineups

Real Madrid host Barcelona in the first Clasico of the 2024/25 season on Saturday night. Preview includes team news, predicted lineups and more.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Preview, predictions and lineups

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