Barcelona vs Real Madrid – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

Spanish football’s superpowers collide in an El Clásico with the Copa del Rey on the line tonight.

Barcelona and Real Madrid got head-to-head in the Spanish Cup final in Seville, in a fixture that’s not to be missed. Barcelona are chasing treble success and are bidding to complete step one of that pursuit. The Catalans are four points clear in La Liga and take on Inter Milan in the Champions League semi-finals next week.

However, Hansi Flick will be without the services of Robert Lewandowski tonight. The club’s leading scorer is facing around a month out with a hamstring injury. He joins Alejandro Balde, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Marc Casado and Marc Bernal on the sidelines.

Real Madrid head into the contest under pressure after exiting Europe. An emphatic defeat over two legs against Arsenal saw the holders bow out in the quarter-finals.

Carlo Ancelotti’s team can still win a domestic double and will be boosted by the return of Kylian Mbappe tonight. The French forward is available, though Eduardo Camavinga’s season is over due to an adductor injury. He joins Dani Carvajal and Eder Militao on the sidelines.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid – Match preview and team news

Form

Barcelona: WWLWW

Hansi Flick’s side have lost just one of their 27 games since the turn of the calendar year to power into treble contention. That sole defeat came in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final with Borussia Dortmund, though proved immaterial as Barcelona progressed following a first-leg triumph.

Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha have combined for 70 goals in all competitions, though the Spaniards will need to combat the absence of the former. However, Ferran Torres continues to impress whenever called upon. Torres has scored 17 goals this season despite starting just 15 games. That haul includes five in the Copa del Rey. He’s the joint-leading scorer in the tournament, alongside Endrick and Julian Alvarez.

Real Madrid: LWLWW

A poor exit from the Champions League has piled the pressure on Real Madrid. The holders were emphatically beaten over two legs against Arsenal, losing both games by an aggregate score of 5-1. Their season now hinges on ability to win tonight’s contest and overhaul Barcelona in the title race.

Back-to-back 1-0 wins in La Liga have kept Los Blancos in touch with Barcelona, but there are concerns over the recent performances of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo. Carlo Ancelotti’s team must also overcome a poor recent record in El Clásico. The two meetings between the teams this season have ended in 4-0 and 5-2 victories for Barcelona.

Last Meeting

Real Madrid 2-5 Barcelona, 12th January 2025, Supercopa de Espana final

Barcelona recovered from a goal down to thrash Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana final in January. The Catalans claimed the first silverware of the Spanish season with an emphatic win in Saudi Arabia.

Kylian Mbappe’s scintillating solo goal opened the scoring for Real Madrid, but Lamine Yamal levelled for Barcelona on 22 minutes. From there, Hansi Flick’s side took control. Lewandowski’s penalty fired them in front before Raphinha and Alejandro Balde made it 4-1 to the Catalans before half-time.

Raphinha’s second of the game – and Barcelona’s fifth – arrived three minutes after the restart. Barca then survived Wojciech Szczesny’s red card, after the Polish ‘keeper was sent off for a foul on Mbappe outside the box. Rodrygo scored from the resulting free-kick but there was no further response from Real.

Predicted Lineups

Barcelona: Szczesny; Kounde, Martinez, Cubrasi, Martin; De Jong, Pedri, Olmo; Yamal, Raphinha, Torres.

Real Madrid: Courtois; Vázquez, Asencio, Rudiger, Garcia; Tchouameni, Valverde, Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius, Mbappe.

Who is the referee?

Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea.

What channel is Barcelona vs Real Madrid on?

In the UK, the game will be broadcast on Premier Sports 1.

What time is kick-off?

21:00 BST.

Odds

Barcelona – 5/4

Draw – 29/10

Real Madrid – 19/10

Read – Iconic Performances: Messi lights up El Clasico with his first ever hat-trick

See more – Five of the most memorable El Clásico thrashings

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