The stage is perfectly set for the first Clásico of the season at the Santiago Bernabéu on Saturday (stream LIVE at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+). LaLiga leaders Barcelona head to the Spanish capital with a three-point advantage over second-placed Real Madrid.
This was not the scenario that was expected after 10 games. Madrid beat Barça twice on their way to the league title last season and then added one of the world's best players, Kylian Mbappé, to a front line already starring Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo Goes and Jude Bellingham.
Barça, meanwhile, started the season shrouded in uncertainty and continuing financial issues. Hansi Flick arrived to replace Xavi Hernández as coach, and while Dani Olmo was signed from RB Leipzig, they began the season with a squad that looked short on numbers and experience.
However, they have started the campaign in fine form -- as shown on Wednesday when Raphinha scored three goals as his side beat Bayern Munich 4-1 in the Champions League -- and Flick could move Barça six points clear of Madrid with a win in his first Clásico.
Mbappé, though, will want to have his say in his debut in the fixture, too, while Vinícius comes into the game on the back of a hat trick in Madrid's 5-2 comeback win over Borussia Dortmund. -- Sam Marsden
Clásico all-time head-to-head
All competitions
Madrid 105, Barcelona 100, Draws 52
LaLiga
Madrid 79, Barcelona 74, Drawn 35
LaLiga games at Bernabéu
Madrid 37, Barcelona 19, Drawn 13
-- ESPN Stats & Information
What happened last season?
Barcelona were the better team in both of last season's league Clásicos, but that wasn't enough. Both games were vintage Madrid smash-and-grabs. In the first Clásico of the season at Montjuïc, on Oct. 28, Barça dominated for an hour. Ilkay Gündogan's goal put them ahead early on. Luka Modrić and Eduardo Camavinga came on and changed the game, but Bellingham won it, scoring a long-range equaliser on 68 minutes before a second goal deep in added time made it 2-1.
The Supercopa meeting in January felt like an outlier as Madrid ran out comfortable 4-1 winners. In April's return league fixture, Barça were on top for long spells, leading 1-0 and then 2-1, but Madrid raised their game and Bellingham inevitably scored a 91st-minute winner, making it 3-2 as the Bernabéu erupted. Had Barcelona won those two Clásicos, they'd have been champions. But they lost both. Talk about fine margins.-- Alex Kirkland
How Real Madrid's and Barcelona's seasons have gone so far
Real Madrid: Madrid are unbeaten in LaLiga, with seven wins and three draws, but their style of play has failed to impress. They've dropped points at Real Mallorca and Las Palmas -- games they should win comfortably -- and even in victory they were made to sweat by opponents like Villarreal and Celta Vigo. Highlights have been moments of individual quality -- in particular, the goals of Mbappé and Vinícius -- rather than as a collective. They miss the retired Toni Kroos in midfield, and Mbappé's arrival up front has unbalanced a solid defensive unit. Despite all that, they're only three points behind Barcelona. -- Alex Kirkland
Barcelona: Flick's first 10 league games in charge of Barcelona have exceeded all expectations. They have won nine of them, only losing away at Osasuna when the German coach opted to rotate his squad ahead of a Champions League game. They look fitter and hungrier than last season and are much more effective in the final third. They have already netted 33 league goals, 12 more than Madrid, who rank second with 21. Considering the injuries they have had to deal with, including to summer signing Olmo, and the youngsters they have had to use, results could hardly have been better at this stage. But a trip to the Bernabéu poses their biggest test yet. -- Marsden
Tale of the tape
Goalkeeper
Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois, the world's best goalkeeper, is expected to miss the game after a recurrence of the adductor injury that kept him out earlier in the season. For most teams, that would be a devastating blow, but at least Madrid have last season's hero Andriy Lunin -- who covered for Courtois for almost all of 2023-24 -- ready to step in. Lunin surprised everybody with the level of his displays last year. But still, he's no Courtois. -- Kirkland
Barcelona: Iñaki Peña has filled in since a knee injury ruled Marc-André ter Stegen out for the season. The 25-year-old goalkeeper has kept three clean sheets in his six starts but also conceded four at Osasuna and there is not the same feeling of security with him in goal as there was with Ter Stegen. Former Arsenal and Juventus No. 1 Wojciech Szczęsny came out of retirement to sign for Barça until the end of the season and provide competition for Peña. Szczęsny is expected to eventually take the gloves from Peña, but the Clásico may be deemed too soon for him. -- Marsden
Who has the edge?: Madrid
Defence
Real Madrid: Dani Carvajal's absence means Lucas Vázquez is the only available right-back (sources have told ESPN that Madrid are looking to sign another, but finding the right candidate in January will be difficult). A reliable backup, Vázquez is sometimes prone to switch off when defending the far post. Éder Militão and Antonio Rüdiger pick themselves at centre-back, where David Alaba still isn't fit, and Jesús Vallejo isn't good enough. On the left, Ferland Mendy -- named the "best defensive left-back in the world" by coach Carlo Ancelotti -- should get the nod over Fran García, and he'll be tasked with stopping teenage superstar Lamine Yamal. -- Kirkland
Barcelona: With Ronald Araújo and Andreas Christensen injured long term, Barça have a settled back four of Jules Koundé, Pau Cubarsí, Iñigo Martínez and Alejandro Balde. Individually they are all playing relatively well, but Flick wants them to play a high line, and that does give opponents a chance to get in behind if Barça's pressing from the front is not perfect. They miss Araújo's recovery pace in that sense. -- Marsden
Edge: Madrid