The first El Clásico of the 2025-26 season is here, with Real Madrid hosting Barcelona on Sunday, October 26. Two points currently separate Spain's top two teams, underlining the importance of this weekend's showdown.
This will also be the first encounter between Hansi Flick, who won the domestic treble with Barcelona last season, and Xabi Alonso. The Spaniard will be aiming to improve on his predecessor's performance last season, with Real Madrid losing both home and away in La Liga in 2024-25.
Both sides enter this clash on the back of much-needed victories, with the Blaugrana thrashing Olympiakos 6-1 in the UEFA Champions League while Los Blancos overcame Juventus 1-0 in Europe. Meanwhile, Barcelona secured a stoppage-time 2-1 victory over Girona in La Liga last weekend, bouncing back from their humiliating 4-1 loss to Sevilla just before the October break.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, are on a four-game winning streak following their heavy 5-2 loss to Atletico Madrid. Here is everything you need to know about this clash, including how to watch El Clásico (TV channels and how to stream the match live), team news and stats, head-to-head record, odds, and more.
How to watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona live – TV channels and live streaming
USA: Fans in the United States can watch Sunday's El Clásico live on linear television in both English and Spanish via ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.
The Real Madrid vs Barcelona showdown is also available via live streaming, with ESPN Select and ESPN Unlimited subscribers able to stream the upcoming Clásico live in the USA on ESPN DTC and ESPN+. Additionally, the Santiago Bernabeu clash will be available on sports streaming television service fuboTV, who carry both ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.
Visit the El Clasico - Real Madrid vs Barcelona match page for all the TV & Streaming options:
UK: Football fans in the UK can watch Sunday's El Clásico on both linear and streaming television via Premier Sports, with Premier Sports 1 televising the match. Fans who prefer to stream Real Madrid vs Barcelona can do so on Premier Sports Player, or on Amazon Prime Video, who carry Premier Sports (an additional Premier Sports add-on is required).
Real Madrid vs Barcelona - La Liga team standings
Real Madrid: 1st; 24 pts
Barcelona: 2nd; 22 pts
Team news — which players are injured for El Clásico?
Real Madrid: Both teams face fitness issues, including the hosts, who are without Antonio Rudiger, with David Alaba and Dani Ceballos being huge doubts. Fortunately, both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal could return in time for this fixture, which has the added benefit of freeing up Federico Valverde for a midfield cameo. However, Sunday's game comes too early for Ferland Mendy.
Barcelona: The Catalan giants received a huge boost, with Raphinha returning to training ahead of Sunday's El Clásico. This means the Brazilian should be available for this tie, though a cameo off the bench is more likely than a start.
Likewise, both Lamine Yamal and Fermin López are fit to start, having played the recent 6-1 UEFA Champions League win over Olympiacos, with the latter scoring a hat-trick. However, Joan García, Marc-André ter Stegen, Gavi, Dani Olmo, and Robert Lewandowski are all out for this tie.
Team stats
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Barcelona are on a four-game winning streak vs. Real Madrid, pulling off the double last season in La Liga.
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If the Catalan giants win on Sunday, this will be the first time the Blaugrana have won five Clasicos in a row since Pep Guardiola's reign from 2008 to 2010.
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Despite this, Real Madrid boast a superior record in recent La Liga encounters, winning seven of their last 11 league meetings.
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Kylian Mbappe currently has 10 goals in La Liga this season. For comparison, Barcelona's three top scorers in the Spanish Primera Division have a combined tally of 11 (Torres: 4; Lewandowski: 4; Raphinha: 3).
Real Madrid vs Barcelona: head-to-head record
Games: 261
Real Madrid wins: 105
Barcelona wins: 104
Draws: 52
Real Madrid vs Barcelona odds
Real Madrid: 10/11to win
Arsenal: 15/8 to win
Draw: 12/5
Last five-match streak
Real Madrid: WWLWW
Barcelona: WLWWW
Starting XI
Real Madrid's last starting XI
Courtois; Valverde, Asencio, Militao, Carreras; Tchouameni, Bellingham, Güler; Brahim, Vinicius, Mbappé
Barcelona's last starting XI
Szczęsny; Cubarsi, Garcia, Kounde, Balde; Casado, Pedri, Dro Fernandez; Yamal, Rashford, López
La Liga TV, Streaming & Media rights:
USA: ESPN (English and Spanish-language rights) - Stream on the ESPN App via DTC
UK: Premier Media (Premier Sports and LaLigaTV) and Disney+ (highlights also available on Sky Sports)
Canada: Bell Media (TSN and RDS)
Middle East and North Africa: beIN Sports
Nigeria: Canal+ Afrique, SuperSport, and StarTimes
India: FanCode
*Highlights available globally on DAZN
Source: Verified in-house by LiveSoccerTV staff.