The world football's most renowned fixture, El Clásico, arrives on Sunday, October 26th, as Real Madrid hosts FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu. The Matchday 10 clash is a straight battle for the La Liga top, with Real Madrid leading the table by a slim two points. A home win would see them move five points ahead, but a win for Barcelona would see them leapfrog their rivals and into first place. The tension is heightened by Barca's desperate injury crisis and the fact that manager Hansi Flick will be viewing the encounter from the stands as he sits out a touchline ban.

• Competition: La Liga, Matchday 10

• Date: Sunday, October 26th, 2025

• Kick-off Time: 3:15 PM UTC

• Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid

Real Madrid enters El Clásico as league leaders with 24 points from nine games. They are presently on a fine four-match winning run in all competitions.

• Current League Position: 1st (24 points from 9 games).

• Recent League Form (Last 5): W-W-L-W-W.

• Key Stat: Real Madrid have won eight consecutive home league matches, their best such streak in ten years.

Barcelona trails their rivals by two points but have the accolade of being the league's highest scorers with 24 goals in nine games. They have positive momentum courtesy of a 6-1 demolition of Olympiacos in midweek.

• Current League Position: 2nd (22 points from 9 games).

• Recent League Form (Last 5): W-L-W-W-W.

• Key Stat: Barcelona's goal-scoring rate (3.20 goals per match in all matches this season) shows how dangerous they are going forward, even though they are missing some players.

Barcelona goes into the Clásico in the midst of an acute and alarming injury crisis, with at least ten players currently unavailable. This makes life very hard for their tactical preparation and substitution plans for the season's biggest match.

Major Blows: They are without star striker Robert Lewandowski (hamstring tear) and winger Raphinha (leg muscle injury, confirmed ruled out).

Midfield & Goalkeeping: Gavi is a long-term casualty (knee), Dani Olmo (calf), and first-choice goalkeepers Marc-André ter Stegen and Joan Garcia.

Tactical Complications: The crisis necessitates that assistant coach Marcus Sorg (deputizing for the suspended Hansi Flick) rely on squad depth and youngsters like Fermín López (who scored a hat-trick in midweek) to fill in up front.

All-Time El Clásico History

• Total Meetings: 261 competitive fixtures.

• Overall Record: Real Madrid narrowly leads the all-time competitive record with 105 wins to Barcelona's 104 wins, with 52 draws.

Barca's Recent Dominance: Barcelona swept all four Clásicos last season across all competitions.

1. Real Madrid Star: Kylian Mbappé leads La Liga in scoring with 10 goals and has scored 15 times overall this season. How effectively he combines with Arda Güler will be vital.

2. Barcelona Threat: Marcus Rashford will start after scoring a double in the Champions League. Lamine Yamal remains a key creative force and threat on the flank.

Real Madrid Predicted XI (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Huijsen, A. Carreras; Valverde, Tchouameni, Camavinga; Bellingham, Vinicius Jr, Mbappe.

Barcelona Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Kounde, Cubarsi, Araujo, Balde; De Jong, Pedri; Yamal, Fermin, Rashford; Torres.

Real Madrid's primary strategy under Xabi Alonso will be to dictate the tempo via the midfield and utilize the blistering speed of Mbappé and Vinicius Jr. on direct counterattacks. Barcelona, for all their losses, have shown that they can still be free scoring. They will look to capitalize on their strong possession football and Fermín López's and Marcus Rashford's form depth to break down the Madrid defense that has been breached in high-pressure matches (e.g., 5-2 loss to Atlético).

Odds retrieved for informational purposes.

Match Winner Odds (1X2)

Value Picks and Best Bets

Prediction Basis: Recent record of no draws in the last 18 meetings makes the Draw a less likely outcome. Both teams possess extreme firepower.

Value Pick: Over 3.5 Goals is the value pick, given the high-scoring nature of recent Clásicos (e.g., 4-3, 5-2, 4-0).

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This Clásico is a matter of survival rather than form for Barcelona due to the injury crisis. Despite Real Madrid having the home advantage and the league's top scorer, their defense has been mistake-prone in high-pressure matches. Barcelona's newfound attacking depth, led by Rashford and López, should be enough to take advantage of those moments, extending their Clásico winning streak.

• Final Score Prediction: Real Madrid 2 - 3 FC Barcelona

The winner of this Matchday 10 clash will end the weekend as the outright La Liga leader. An FC Barcelona victory would be an enormous statement given their injury crisis and a huge psychological blow to new Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso. A Madrid victory will be justification for their flying start and place them in firm control of the title race. In the end, the result will boil down to a clash between the depth and tactical resilience of Barcelona and the home momentum and individual brilliance of Real Madrid.