One of the football's biggest matches returns as Real Madrid host Barcelona in the 250th competitive edition of the clash. There is an hour and a half time.
Barcelona and Real Madrid are both at the top of the LaLiga table after Sunday's game. Real Madrid would go on to win their 35th LaLiga title, despite Barcelona snapping a six-game winless streak against them.
On Sunday, October 16, Real Madrid plays Barcelona. The time has not yet been determined.
Barcelona spent nearly 150 million on new players in the off-season and has its sights on a 27th league title. For the first time since the 2006-08 season, Madrid are eyeing back-to-back crowns.
Sam and Alex break down the two teams and look at what to expect in the game.
The seasons so far are: Benzema or Lewa.
Madrid started the season as if it were a repeat of last year's double-winning campaign, with nine wins out of nine in all competition. The first slip-up of the season came in a home draw with Osasuna, but they bounced back with a win at Getafe.
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The summer signing of Aurelien Tchouameni has helped fans forget about the departure of Casemiro to Manchester United, while young stars Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes and datememe datememe are developing into this team's new generation of leaders.
Barcelona are much improved from a year ago, but they still look like a team in development. They are on the verge of missing out on the playoffs after failing to break down stubborn opponents in their last two games.
The squad is packed with quality and they have been effective in both boxes. After eight games, they are the top scoring team with 20 goals and have the best defence with one goal.
The chance to bounce back from Wednesday's draw with Inter will give them a better idea of whether they can compete for the title this season.
It has been felt on and off the field. He's the top scorer in LaLiga with nine goals in eight games. He's a leader off it. His work rate is infectious. The younger members of the squad have been influenced by Xavi.
The move to Barcelona has given him fresh motivation as he is still at his peak. He is going to watch Benzema win the Ballon d'Or this year because he thinks he deserved it. The spotlight that falls on Barcelona will give him a better chance at individual glory, while the desire to succeed will propel them to success.
Benzema has had a weird start to the season. There were doubts that this was a player worthy of Ballon d'Or recognition a few months ago, but now they are gone. He hasn't scored since August because of an injury- disrupted spell that included a month on the sidelines.
Three LaLiga goals from five starts is a modest return, and the missed penalty against Osasuna cost Madrid their 100% record. Vinicius and Rodrygo were able to step into the breech. After being rested at the weekend, Benzema had one last chance to rediscover his form before the Clasico.
The bedrock of their success over the past decade is changing.
Casemiro, 30, was moved for a significant fee by the club, having already signed Tchouameni, 22, as his replacement. Tchouameni has shown that he can replace the Brazilian, but is yet to be tested in a game of this magnitude. He is not a guaranteed starter.
The veteran Modric is not going to be removed from the best XI. The classic three-man set is now effectively a four-man set with Eduardo Camavinga's talents being used as an impact substitute.
The two young men have established themselves as regulars for both Spain and Barcelona. No one doubts their quality or their potential, but they now need to turn that into silverware to be put in the same league as their predecessors, like Iniesta and Xavi.
They're both on the correct path. In the middle of the field, there is a base withSergio Busquets sitting at it. He is so busy that some people at the club think he needs to slow down.
Few have shown such a good understanding of the game at such a young age as for Pedri. Can he now control a game?
Barcelona need their other attackers to score more so that they don't have to rely on Robert Lewandowski. Ousmane Dembele, Raphinha, Ansu Fati, and Memphis Depay are just some of the attackers they have. They have not delivered enough.
Dembele has been brilliant at times, but he needs to make better decisions in the final third. He has four helpers, but only two goals. The coach of the Barcelona team wants everyone to score more.
Only three people have scored more than once in a league game this season. Each one of them has two. Madrid have four players with four or more goals and that's not good enough.
Vinicius, Rodrygo and Valverde have helped forge a new identity for Madrid as a direct, dynamic counterattacking unit. Vinicius is the team's top scorer with seven goals, followed by Rodrygo and Valverde with four apiece.
Carlo Ancelotti will only have one dilemma against Barcelona, which is whether to start Rodrygo or Valverde. The Brazilian is likely to be held in reserve for later in the game due to the lack of convincing attacking alternatives with Marco Asensio andEden Hazard out of form.
They can't afford to lose Thibaut Courtois and Benzema, so they've been hit by injury doubts. Courtois will be a last-minute decision as he recovers from a sciatic nerve problem, while Benzema is expected to be available. If Courtois doesn't make it, his lack of big-game experience would be a big concern.
If a second-half energy boost is needed, Madrid can call on the likes of Camavinga and Rodrygo.
The summer spending of Barcelona was used to improve the starting lineup and add depth. In defence, the depth has been pushed to the limit due to a number of injuries, and a makeshift back three couldn't contain Inter.
The loss of Ronald Araujo and Jules Kounde while on international duty has been a big blow to the team. The door has been reopened for Gerard Pique to come back in from the cold because of the injuries to the other two players.
Frenkie de Jong, Franck Kessie, and Memphis have all been injured. There is a chance that Kounde could face Madrid, but Barcelona will be weakened in defense at the Bernabeu.
The euphoria that was beginning to bubble before the recent international break had already been reduced by the fact that Barcelona had not played well in their last two games.
The draw with Inter was a blow to the club's spirits and Xavi takes his team to Madrid at the lowest point of his time in charge. He will take a lot of responsibility if the same thing happens again this season. He will find positives despite that. Recent history shows that Barcelona enjoy their trips to Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti is always confident, that's what you get. It was a surprise that the 63-year-old Italian could still deliver at the highest level after winning LaLiga and the European Championship. He has shown that he is capable of growth and innovation thanks to his youthful staff and son Davide.
It was an eyebrow-raising result when Madrid were thrashed by four goals at the Bernabeu last season, but they are versatile and can play on the counter or sit deep. He will have learned that playing Modric as an emergency false nine isn't a good idea.
With Madrid having to open up more at home, they can take advantage of any space given to them.
I would expect a much tighter game than the one last season, as neither team goes into this match in its best shape. I can see Benzema scoring in a draw that will set us up nicely for the title race.
The form book doesn't always follow the form book, so I wouldn't take too much from the post international break struggles of Barcelona. It won't be easy against a strong Madrid side, but they will want to move on quickly. I will sit on the fence with a 2-2 draw because neither team wants to win the game.
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