Overview
Real Madrid have not had a perfect performance this season, despite winning 11 out of 12 matches in all competitions. The only defeat was against Atletico Madrid at the end of September.
Xabi Alonso's side have won eight of their nine La Liga games, earning 24 points and are top of the table, two points ahead of second-placed Barcelona. In the most recent round, they beat Getafe 1-0.
In the Champions League, Los Blancos also continued to maintain stable performance when they defeated Juventus 1-0 in midweek. The only goal was scored by Jude Bellingham, thereby maintaining the overall winning record in the group stage.
Despite not being at their best form - conceding nine goals in nine games - Real Madrid are still the second strongest attack in La Liga this season with 20 goals, just four behind Barcelona.
Before the international break in November, Los Blancos have 4 more matches, including a reception for Valencia at the Bernabeu, a trip to Liverpool in the Champions League, before traveling to Rayo Vallecano.
Real Madrid will certainly enter the upcoming El Clasico with the determination to take revenge, after letting Barcelona win all four of their matches last season. That included a bitter 0-4 defeat at the Bernabeu last October.
Meanwhile, Barcelona also entered the Champions League competition week with a resounding 6-1 victory over Olympiacos, thereby regaining their winning streak in the European arena. They have increased their total points to 6 after the first three matches.
Before that, the Catalan team suffered a 1-4 defeat to Sevilla right before the October international break. However, they quickly regained their spirit when defeating Girona 2-1, before continuing to show their attacking power with 6 goals in the Champions League.
The only point Barcelona have dropped in La Liga this season was in the loss to Rayo Vallecano at the end of August. However, injuries have become a worrying problem for the defending champions since the beginning of the season. Especially in the defense - which has not shown the necessary stability and could become a major threat before the upcoming big match.
Hansi Flick's side have four more games to go before the season ends in November. Including confrontations with Elche and Celta Vigo in La Liga, interspersed with visits to Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Barcelona will likely continue to rely on young talent Lamine Yamal, although the 17-year-old player needs more support from his teammates. The Catalan team will be missing some key strikers in the trip to Bernabeu.
Personnel situation
Real Madrid welcomed the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dani Carvajal and Dean Huijsen, while Antonio Rudiger was sidelined with a serious muscle injury.
David Alaba is also unable to feature due to a groin injury, but Dani Ceballos has returned to training and is ready to play. Xabi Alonso's side have not suffered any new injuries in the build-up to this highly anticipated match.
On the other side, Barcelona also have good news when Frenkie de Jong has returned to training after a period of absence due to illness and is likely to start. However, Jules Kounde has missed recent training sessions due to injury, while Raphinha has also failed to return in time due to hamstring problems.
In addition, Barcelona will definitely not have the services of Joan Garcia, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Gavi, Robert Lewandowski and Dani Olmo. Therefore, Yamal, Fermin Lopez and Marcus Rashford are likely to form a trio supporting the striker Ferran Torres behind.
In defense, Ronald Araujo could pair Pau Cubarsi in the center if Kounde does not recover in time, while Eric Garcia is expected to play at right-back.
Expected lineup:
Real Madrid: Courtois, Valverde, Militao, Asencio, Carreras, Guler, Tchouameni, Bellingham, Mastantuono, Mbappe, Vinicius.
Barcelona: Szczesny, E. Garcia, Araujo, Cubarsi, Balde, Pedri, De Jong, Yamal, Fermin, Rashford, Ferran.
The match between Real Madrid and Barcelona takes place at 10:15 p.m. on October 26 (Vietnam time).
