Barcelona vs Real Madrid live online: El Clásico score, stats and updates | LaLiga EA Sports 2023-24
El Clásico: Barcelona vs Real Madrid live updates, Lewandowski returns
Early Real Madrid team news: Militão, Courtois, Güler, Ceballos miss out
Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and centre-back Eder Militão both tore their ACLs right at the start of the season and will be hard pushed to play again until 2024-25.
Midfield duo Arda Güler, who has yet to make his debut, and Dani Ceballos, who has made only a few sub appearances this term, are also not available, although neither would have started anyway.
Early Real Madrid team news: Jude Bellingham passed fit to play
Time to move over to the other side of the divide, where things are a lot less chaotic on the fitness front.
Man-of-the-moment Jude Bellingham set alarm bells ringing in the second half of Tuesday’s Champions League win over Braga when he crumbled to the floor. Thankfully for anyone of a Real Madrid persuasion, Ancelotti was quick to play down fears he could miss El Clásico immediately after the game and reiterated that in Friday’s pre-match press conference.
Xavi's pre-Clásico press conference quotes
How is the team going into a match as decisive as El Clásico?
For us it’s very important, everyone wants to play, and everyone wants to test themselves. We are very excited.
What’s the latest on the injured players?
I was surprised to see players we had almost ruled out back in training. Everyone wants to be involved. The feeling in the camp is very positive.
Could Lewandowski start?
He’s fine. He’s been training, but I won’t give anything away here. I’m not going to give any clues.
And Pedri?
We don’t want to force anyone, we want to minimise risks. We’ll see tomorrow.
Is it too risky to play players who have been out of action for so long?
Those who are fit will play. We won’t be able to field anyone who isn’t. It’s a game where you have to be at 100 per cent. It would be a mistake to do the opposite.
What are you expecting from Madrid?
Madrid have changed their system with the arrival of Bellingham. We have to keep an eye on Rodrygo and Vinícius and minimise their strengths.
Is the Clásico the biggest rivalry in the world?
I don’t know, it’s great. In Argentina, they will say River-Boca and in Seville Betis-Sevilla. But it’s the biggest Game at club level, for sure.
Seven academy players on Barcelona's matchday roster
Despite the returns of three first-team regulars, there are no fewer than seven academy players named on Xavi's roster for today's Game: Ander Astralaga, Lamine Yamal, Marc Casadó, Fermín López, Pau Curbasí, Marc Guiu and Héctor Fort.
Yamal and Fermín both started in Wednesday's Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk, but could their places now be under threat?
Early Barcelona team news: Raphinha and Koundé also back after injury, Sergi Roberto out
Raphinha has missed four consecutive games with a thigh problem but also comes back into Xavi’s thinking for this one, as does Jules Koundé, who has sat out the last two matches because of a knee issue.
That leaves Sergi Roberto as the only other absentee, in addition to Pedri and de Jong.
Why are Pedri and de Jong not available for Barcelona?
All of Barcelona's injured players being back for one of the biggest game of the season did seem like it would be too much of a coincidence, didn't it? In the end, midfield duo Pedri and Frenkie de Jong are the ones who miss out.
The Spaniard missed several weeks of the second half of last season with a thigh injury and, rather worryingly, he hasn't played since August because of a similar issue. He is, however, on the verge of a return.
The Dutchman, meanwhile, suffered an ankle injury in the home win over Celta Vigo towards the end of September and was always the least likely of the men in the treatment room to be available to face Madrid.
Official: Lewandowski available for Barcelona, Pedri and de Jong won't play
No sooner had I posted that last message, Barcelona revealed their official matchday roster for today's game. Are they reading this?
The good news: Lewandowski, Koundé and Raphinha are back!
The bad news: there's no Pedri or de Jong.
Early Barcelona team news: Lewandowski, Pedri, Koundé and de Jong doubts
Barcelona’s fitness issues have been well-documented in recent weeks, with a whole host of first-team regulars absent for the last few games. At one point or another, all of them were rumoured to be missing today’s match, but Xavi hit us with the incredible news in his pre-match press conference yesterday that he was “surprised to see players we had almost ruled out back in training”.
The players in question are Robert Lewandowski, Pedri, Jules Koundé and Frenkie de Jong, although he wasn’t giving anything away regarding whether they would ultimately play or not.
Oh Xavi, you tease.
EL CLÁSICO
Barcelona vs Real Madrid: times, how to watch on TV and stream online | LaLiga
Before we get down to serious business, you may be looking for a way to watch today’s game. Well, if you’re in the United States then there is a way and this is it!
Fidel has kindly put this handy little guide together for you, dear reader.
You can also watch a Barcelona vs Real Madrid live stream on fuboTV, which offers a free trial.
El Clásico for free? You can't say no to that, can you?
Pre-Clásico social media poster: who did it better?
It's not the biggest battle we'll see today, admittedly. And, in any case, Barcelona and Real Madrid have gone for pretty much identical posts ahead of the Game. With one major difference.
Los Blancos have been kind enough to include opposition players Gavi, Ronald Araújo and João Félix in theirs, while Barça have very much taken a "me, me, me" approach. Controversial.
Did someone say El Clásico?
Yes, I believe so!
Is this the biggest fixture in club soccer? Well, your view might well depend on where you come from and which team you support. As far as overall global appeal, though, this one takes some beating.
What time does Barcelona vs Real Madrid kick-off?
The clash at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Montjüic gets underway at 4:15 p.m. local time, which makes it 10:15 a.m. ET and 7:15 a.m. PT. Does an "El Clásico breakfast” give a new meaning to “breakfast of champions”, west coasters?
Still a few hours to go until kick-off, in which time I’ll be bringing you build-up, team news, a few trips down memory lane and plenty more. Let's do this!
How the LaLiga table looks
In case you haven’t been keeping up, it’s the Catalans who are top dogs at the moment. Just not those Catalans.
Girona might have lost 3-0 to Real Madrid not so long ago but they’ve only dropped two other points, moving three clear at the top of the table after Friday’s last-gasp home win over Celta Vigo.
What a fairytale story that would be if it weren’t for megabucks Manchester City’s involvement, eh…?
| T | MP | W | D | L | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 GIR | 28 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 |
2 RMA | 25 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
3 BCN | 24 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
4 ATM | 22 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
5 RSO | 18 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
Hello and welcome to Barcelona vs Real Madrid!
It’s the one we’ve all been waiting for! The first Clásico of the 2023-24 season is open us, and it’s a weird one! Neither Camp Nou nor Estadio Santiago Bernabéu will host today’s clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid, which, as ever, could prove to be decisive at the top of the LaLiga table, both now and come the end of the season.
The big question is, can either La Blaugrana or Los Blancos keep up with the blistering pace set by league leaders Girona?
I'm Roddy and thanks for joining me for one of the biggest games of the LaLiga season and indeed in world soccer!
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