La Liga leaders Barcelona will host Real Madrid in El Clasico at Camp Nou on Sunday. A win would stretch their lead over Madrid to nine points.
Hansi Flick’s side lead third-placed Madrid by six points. But Barcelona go into the match after their first defeat of the season, a loss at Paris Saint-Germain in the Uefa Champions League on Tuesday.
“We made too many mistakes, especially in ball possession, easy ball losses,” Flick said after the game. “We have to understand the mistakes happen because (players) are not fresh.”
Real Madrid arrive in better form. They have won four matches in a row, including a big win over RB Leipzig on Wednesday. It is the first time since Jose Mourinho took over in the summer that they look like a settled team, AFP reported.
Mourinho said “confidence doesn’t exist” for Clasico matches. He also complained about the schedule on Wednesday. “It’s not a game like the others … we’re losing 24 hours of rest (compared to Barcelona),” he said.
Madrid will be without Brazil forward Vinicius Junior, who is serving a four-match suspension. Spanish daily AS wrote that the ban was seen inside the club “more as a solution than a problem”.
Teenager Yan Diomande, signed for a record 140 million pounds (about R2.59 billion), may start for Madrid. He offers more in defence and is starting to find his form in attack. Mourinho could also add an extra midfielder to slow Barcelona down.
Barcelona have injury worries in defence. Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen are out, and Jules Kounde is a doubt. Midfielder Dani Olmo is also injured.
The Catalan club let in four goals against PSG. Their high defensive line has left them open at the back during Flick’s time in charge.
In attack, Barcelona have scored at least twice in every match this season. They have averaged more than four goals a game. Raphinha is fit again and leads the league with 12 goals.
Kylian Mbappe has nine league goals for Madrid, three fewer than Raphinha. Barcelona teenager Lamine Yamal is third on the list with eight goals.
“Our unbeaten run (domestically) is still intact, and we’ll do everything we can to keep it that way,” Raphinha told TNT Sports.
Madrid won the first Clasico last season. Vinicius reacted angrily to being taken off in that game, and coach Xabi Alonso was sacked a little over two months later. His replacement, Alvaro Arbeloa, could not stop Madrid ending a second straight season without a major trophy, while Barcelona kept the Spanish title.
Mbappe and Yamal are both hoping to be named the world’s best player at the Ballon d’Or ceremony on Monday.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Sport. Image: IOL Sport. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Sports desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Tiyani Mathebula writes about sport for Tzaneen Voice. Tiyani covers Bafana Bafana, the Springboks, the Proteas and the PSL, along with athletics, tennis and local club sport. Match reports and previews focus on results, team news, fixtures and what each game means for South African teams and fans.