Barcelona can win the LaLiga title with a draw in opposition to a Actual Madrid facet embroiled in disaster within the Clasico on Sunday.
The Clasico returns to Camp Nou for the primary time since 2023, although it’s a sport Barca can be relishing excess of Madrid.
Whereas Barca can break new floor by profitable the title within the Clasico, a feat they’ve by no means beforehand been achieved, Madrid head into the sport in disaster.
A petition calling on the membership to promote Kylian Mbappe has reached almost 70 million signatures, however of extra concern to the membership hierarchy would be the vital discord that’s obvious within the altering room.
After Alvaro Carreras revealed he had a confrontation with Antonio Rudiger, tensions between membership captain Federico Valverde and midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni erupted on Thursday as the 2 got here to blows.
Valverde suffered a head harm and was left needing stitches, his accidents ruling him out of the Clasico. Each gamers obtained €500,000 fines.
Neither participant was suspended for his or her half within the incident, which means Tchouameni can be accessible to face a Barca facet with out star Lamine Yamal due to a hamstring harm he suffered in opposition to Celta Vigo final month.
Regardless of Yamal’s absence, spirits are clearly excessive within the Barca camp, with coach Hansi Flick praising the harmonious ambiance within the group.
“We’ve got gamers with a variety of high quality, world class gamers,” Flick mentioned. “The connection between everyone seems to be superb — [especially between] the academy gamers as a result of they’ve identified one another a few years.
“Successful a second title with this younger crew can be unbelievable. The gamers have made a improbable job and now we need to win the title, the second in a row, which is superb — and never regular right here in Spain.
“I don’t need to talk about Madrid, it’s not my job. It’s all the time in regards to the crew, the ‘we,’ not the ‘me,’ it’s not in regards to the ego, it’s all the time in regards to the crew.
“However for them it’s additionally a Clásico this weekend. They’ll nonetheless be 100% centered, they need to win additionally. For this reason the Clásico is so vital for everybody — for Actual and for Barca.”
“It won’t be simple to choose 11 gamers tomorrow. We’ve got almost everybody again. Everybody provides an incredible stage.
“We need to play our sport and never focus about different issues. It’s clear what now we have to do and we need to present it. We’re on this state of affairs as a result of we performed a improbable season as a crew.”
Barcelona v Actual Madrid crew information
Along with Yamal, Andreas Christensen (knee) additionally stays on the sidelines.
Mbappe and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois ought to make their returns from harm, however Rodrygo (knee), Arda Guler (hamstring), Eder Militao (hamstring), Dani Carvajal (foot) and Ferland Mendy (thigh) are all out together with Valverde.
Barcelona v Actual Madrid predicted line-ups
Barcelona: J. Garcia; Kounde, Cubarsi, Martin, Cancelo; E. Garcia, Pedri; Rashford, Gavi, Fermin; Lewandowski.
Actual Madrid: Courtois; Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, F. Garcia; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Pitarch; Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappe.
The place to observe Barca v Actual Madrid: TV channel, dwell on-line streams
Kick-off on Sunday is at 20:00 BST (15:00 ET / 12:00 PT), with dwell protection within the UK on Premier Sports activities 1 and streaming accessible on an unlimited vary of gadgets by way of the Premier Sports activities app.
A Premier Sports subscription prices £120 a yr, £11.99 per thirty days on a 12-month contract or £16.99 per thirty days with 30 days’ cancellation discover required.
Barcelona v Actual Madrid stats
- The one event on which a Clasico has determined the title was through the 1931/32 season, when Madrid drew 2-2 on the ultimate matchday of the marketing campaign to beat Athletic Membership to glory
- Not one of the final 12 La Liga conferences between the groups have been a draw, which is the longest run with no league Clasico ending stage since a run of 18 matches between 1977 and 1986 (10 Madrid wins, eight Barcelona)
- Barcelona’s present run of 10 La Liga wins is their finest run below Hansi Flick and places the German on the right track to turn into the fifth coach within the membership’s historical past to gather 11 consecutive league victories, after Pep Guardiola (a run of 16 and one other of 11), Frank Rijkaard (14), Luis Enrique (12) and Tito Vilanova (11)
- Flick might be a part of Guardiola, Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde because the Twenty first-century coaches to have gained the league in each of their first two seasons accountable for Barca
- Victory would make Flick the second Barcelona coach this century to win his first two dwelling La Liga matches in opposition to Madrid, after Guardiola (first three)
- Barca have scored in every of their final 54 video games in La Liga, since a 1-0 defeat at dwelling to Leganes in December 2024
- Madrid have gained eight of their final 12 La Liga conferences with Barcelona (L4), which is as many as they had been victorious in throughout their earlier 32 Clasico matches within the competitors (W8 D7 L17).
- They’ve misplaced two of their final 5 La Liga away video games (W2 D1), which is as many defeats as they suffered of their earlier 17 on the highway within the competitors (W12 D3 L2)
- Alvaro Arbeloa’s first Clasico provides him an opportunity to turn into the fifth Madrid coach to win away of their first managerial expertise of the fixture, after Jose Quirante in 1929 (2-1), Carlos Queiroz in 2003 (2-1), Bernd Schuster in 2007 (1-0) and Zinedine Zidane in 2016 (2-1)
- Vinicius Junior has eight objectives in 23 appearances in opposition to Barcelona in all competitions, solely scoring extra in opposition to Valencia and Osasuna (9)
Barcelona v Actual Madrid prediction
Even with out Yamal, it appears unattainable to check Barca massing the chance to clinch the title in opposition to their arch rivals, who’re in full disarray. It will likely be a sight to behold at Camp Nou ought to they get the job executed.
Prediction: Barcelona 2-1 Actual Madrid
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