Barcelona, Real Madrid square off in 'El Clasico' on TSN
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One of the most iconic rivalries in sports writes another chapter in its storied history when Barcelona meets Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the first Clasico of the 2024-25 La Liga season.
New manager Hansi Flick has his Barcelona side three points clear at the top of the table through 10 matches, and is coming off of a 4-1 thrashing of Bayern Munich in the Champions League, with Brazilian forward Raphinha netting a hat trick in the victory.
The front three of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha have been among the best in world football to begin the season, and the stats back it up.
Lewandowski leads the league in scoring with 12 goals, while Raphinha and Yamal are pacing the way in assists with five and six, respectively. The trio’s combined 34 goal contributions are the most among any three players in Spanish football.
The Blaugrana can push their lead atop La Liga to six points with a win over Madrid, a feat they haven’t accomplished in four of their last five competitive matches against Los Blancos.
Madrid took both league games last season from Barca, and were victorious over the Catalans in the Supercopa de Espana final for their 13th title in the competition.
They come into the fixture undefeated in the Spanish top flight this season, and are fresh off of a 5-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Kylian Mbappe will make his debut in the historic rivalry after joining the Spanish giants on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain this summer.
The Golden Boot winner from the 2022 World Cup has netted eight goals while adding two assists in 13 games across all competitions this season.
England international Jude Bellingham is sure to play a part in the Saturday’s festivities, with the 2023-24 La Liga Player of the Year bagging a combined three goals against Barcelona last year.
With Brazilian attacker Rodrygo set to miss Saturday’s Clasico with a thigh injury, Mbappe and Bellingham will need to be sharp in order to take down a Barcelona side that has won each of its last four matches while conceding just two goals during that span.