Real Madrid hosting Barcelona in the first El Clasico of the season. After a victory over Celta Vigo last time out in the league, Los Blancos have the opportunity to level on points with Barça at the top of the La Liga table. Additionally, Real Madrid could equal Barcelona’s record of 43 league matches unbeaten with a win or draw.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men head into this high-stakes match without a few key players. Thibaut Courtois And Rodrygo will miss out due to injury, with both players suffering setbacks in the club’s midweek return against Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League. David Alaba and Dani Carvajal are long-term absentees.

Notably, this match will also mark Kylian Mbappe’s first taste of the Clasico since signing from Paris Saint-Germain this summer.

MORE: El Clasico 2024: Real Madrid’s predicted line-up to face Barcelona

Meanwhile, Barcelona will be without Andreas Christensen, Ferran Torres, Marc Bernal, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Ronald Araujo due to injury. Eric Garcia could also be out after struggling to recover from a recent setback.

Despite the injury list, Hansi Flick’s side are ready for this mouth-watering encounter, following a 4-1 win over Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League and a 5-1 victory over Sevilla in La Liga last week.

The last time Real Madrid and Barcelona met was in April at the Santiago Bernabéu. That night, Jude Bellingham scored a final goal to send Real Madrid within touching distance of their 36th La Liga title. The last time Barca tasted a league victory against Los Blancos was in March 2023, when Franck Kessie scored the winner in stoppage time at the Camp Nou.

MORE: El Clasico: a preview of the last 5 La Liga matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona

Kick-off time: 9:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. PT)

Stadium: Santiago Bernabéu

Location: Madrid, Spain

Date: Saturday October 26, 2024

Real Madrid: 3 victories

Barcelona: 2 victories

UNITED STATES: Watch on ESPN Deportes, stream on ESPN+

United Kingdom: Watch on Premier Sports, La Liga TV

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