Who will win the Classic?

The biggest game in Spanish and possibly world club football takes place on Saturday night as bitter La Liga rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona The classic.

The pair of Spanish giants have dominated the domestic league standings throughout history and approach this game in high spirits after each achieved their own monumental results in Champions League action between week

But who should the fans expect to claim the points when the two European giants take to the Bernabeu turf this weekend?

It was certainly difficult to judge Barça’s prospects this season after a dizzying end to the last campaign that included the loss of former coach Xavi Hernandez.

However, his replacement Hansi Flick has overcame a wonderful start to the 2024/25 season, with the Blaugrana sitting at the top of La Liga after winning nine of their opening ten games. The only blip so far has been a shock 4-2 defeat at Osasuna, but memories of that defeat fade quickly, especially after the thrashing they handed out to Bayern Munich on wednesday

In a match that has been more of a tough watch for Barça fans in recent memory, Raphinha put the Catalan giants ahead in the first minute and finished with the ball after bagging a hat-trick. Robert Lewandowski, who now has 15 goals this season, also scored before half-time against his former team.

It turned out to be a fairly easy night’s work for Barça, although the same cannot be said MadridThe midweek result despite an attractive final result.

The current champions of Spain and Europe they were 2-0 ahead of Borussia Dortmundthe team he beat in last season’s Champions League final at half-time on Tuesday night. However, Antonio Rudiger’s header started the comeback as Vinicius Junior grabbed a hat-trick of his own from compatriot Raphinha, with Lucas Vázquez also getting on the scoresheet.

Their revamped attack has yet to click despite the goals coming in regularly for new signing Kylian Mbappe, while Jude Bellingham has not struck at all so far this season, a stark difference between his electric start and his Los Blancos career last year

Although Barça’s recent form and performances have been more impressive than Madrid’s, the recent head-to-head record points favorably in the direction of Carlo Ancelotti’s team.

The Whites have won their last four meetings with their fierce rivals, the most recent of which was a Spectacular 3-2 success at the Bernabéu in April this year. It was Bellingham who got the winner in the 91st minute after their team had fallen behind twice.

The win helped Madrid move 11 points clear of Barça on their way to the La Liga title and was part of an impressive unbeaten run that they can soar to record heights if they triumph on Saturday night.

Since he was defeated 3-1 by Atlético de Madrid in September last year, Madrid achieved 31 wins, 11 draws and no defeats. The current record for most consecutive matches without losing in the League is 43 and it is held by Barça, who achieved the feat between 2017 and 2018.

Barça beat Madrid in a pre-season friendly during the summer, but their The last competitive win in this match was in 2023 as they took a 12-point lead on their way to the Spanish top-flight title.

While there will still be some of the world’s biggest stars in action on Saturday night, both Ancelotti and Flick have some major injury absences to deal with.

For the hosts, both goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and winger Rodrygo are out of contentionthat is, they will sit in the stands next to Dani Carvajal and David Alaba. Brahim Diaz is back in training and could feature for the first time in mid-September.

There is also a major problem between the posts Barça. Inaki Pena has been shaky since replacing Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who suffered an ACL injury earlier in the season, and free signing Wojciech Szczesny is unlikely to be fielded for his debut.

Also, Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo, Marc Bernal and Ferran Torres are unavailable.

There are some truly delightful one-on-one battles to watch Saturday night.

Both Vinicius and Raphinha scored hat-tricks in midweek and will be full of confidence, meaning it could be a tough night’s work for both Jules Kounde and Lucas Vazquez, who will be tasked with keeping the dangerous men quiet Brazilians from each team.

The midfield battle will also be intriguing. Barça evoked memories of their famous Xavi-Busquets-Iniesta trio during Bayern’s embarrassment, with the crowd letting out their most triumphant ‘oles’ as players such as Pedri, Marc Casado and Fermín López launched the ball into the middle of the park .

Madrid have their own on-the-ball genius in the form of Luka Modric, but the engines of Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde will be crucial in upsetting the visitors’ tempo.

The best rivalries in the world are often unpredictable when it comes to the matchday. With such incredible attacking talent on display, the scoreline could be anything. There has also not been a draw in this fixture since December 2019, which points towards a winner one way or another this weekend.

Given the fluid nature of their midweek win, Barça may be slight favourites. Their ease in possession and form in the final third is hard to look past, even if Madrid often find a way to defy the odds.

Los Blancos have their own piece of history they are chasing and they could just as easily score five goals on Pena as lose on Saturday night, but the Spanish champions are yet to get going and could receive a call from attention this weekend.

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