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Spotify Camp Nou, Barcelona
Sunday 25 October, 8pm
Barcelona can become the first side to win their opening 10 La Liga games when Real Madrid visit Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday 25 October, kick-off 8pm UK time, and they must try to do it with three defenders on the injury list.
Real Madrid arrive third in the table, six points behind, with Jose Mourinho taking charge of his first Clasico since returning to the club and without the suspended Vinicius Junior.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid preview and form guide
Barcelona have won every one of their nine league games, scoring 39 and conceding nine, and lead Atletico Madrid by five points and Real Madrid by six.
That scoring record runs ahead of the chances created, with 30.3 expected goals behind it, and Raphinha has scored 12 from 7.7.
At home the picture is starker, with four wins from four by an aggregate 17-4, which stretches Barcelona's league run at home to 23 straight wins when last season's 19 from 19 is included.
Barcelona's first defeat of the season came at PSG on Tuesday, 4-2 in the Champions League, with Xavi Espart and Lamine Yamal on the scoresheet and Dani Olmo forced off injured.
Yamal has eight goals and six assists in nine league games, while Anthony Gordon, expected on the left, has one goal and four assists in eight.
Real Madrid have won their last four games in all competitions, scoring four goals in each of the last three, most recently in a 4-1 win over RB Leipzig on Wednesday.
Away from home the record is less convincing, with two wins and two defeats from their last four league trips, six goals scored and six conceded, and losses at Real Betis and Atletico Madrid.
Mbappe remains the focal point, with nine league goals from 8.9 expected and a hat-trick against Real Sociedad among them.
Real Madrid have scored 23 league goals from 19.7 expected, a far smaller overperformance than Barcelona's, and their defence has been as tight as Barcelona's over the same nine games.
Without Vinicius Junior, Mourinho has to rebuild the left of his attack, and Yan Diomande, with two goals and two assists in nine league games, is the most likely beneficiary.
Jude Bellingham has three goals and three assists in nine league games and is expected to play just behind Mbappe.
Mourinho's Leipzig line-up included Antonio Rudiger, Alvaro Carreras and Eduardo Camavinga, none of whom is expected to start on Sunday, so Wednesday's side is not a guide to this one.
Team news and predicted XIs for Barcelona vs Real Madrid
Barcelona team news
Olmo's adductor injury takes out the attacking midfielder who went off in Paris, and Fermin Lopez, who has four goals and three assists in eight league games, is the likely replacement.
The back line is the bigger worry, with Jules Kounde, Eric Garcia and Andreas Christensen all out, which leaves Pau Cubarsi and Gerard Martin as the only fit specialist centre-backs in the squad.
Joan Garcia is expected in goal, with Espart, 19, and Joao Cancelo at full-back, as they were against PSG.
Rodri is expected to come in for Marc Bernal alongside Pedri after coming off the bench at 60 minutes in Paris.
Raphinha started at PSG for the first time since 19 September after a thigh problem and should lead the line again, with Gabriel Jesus and Karim Adeyemi the alternatives.
Barcelona predicted lineup vs Real Madrid
Garcia; Espart, Cubarsi, Martin, Cancelo; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Lopez, Gordon; Raphinha
Real Madrid team news
Vinicius Junior is suspended for the second game of a four-match ban after his red card against Villarreal, and he is not available again until late November.
Rodrygo is out with a cruciate ligament injury until around late December, while Raul Asencio has a leg stress fracture and is not expected back until around January.
The right side of the team is the open question, with Federico Valverde expected at right-back, as he was against Sevilla and Leipzig, and Denzel Dumfries or Trent Alexander-Arnold the alternatives.
Bernardo Silva, who scored against Leipzig, is expected to partner Aurelien Tchouameni in midfield, with Arda Guler and Diomande either side of Bellingham.
Thibaut Courtois is expected in goal, with Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen at centre-back.
Marc Cucurella is expected at left-back, where he will face Yamal, a Spain team-mate, down Barcelona's right.
Real Madrid predicted lineup vs Barcelona
Courtois; Valverde, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Tchouameni, Silva; Guler, Bellingham, Diomande; Mbappe
Head-to-head: Barcelona vs Real Madrid record
The all-time record could hardly be closer, with 264 official games producing 106 wins each and 52 draws.
Barcelona have won four of the last five meetings in all competitions, scoring 13 and conceding nine, and three or more goals were scored in four of those games.
The most recent was a 2-0 home win on 10 May, when Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres scored, and both have since left the club.
Barcelona have won six of the last seven Clasicos in all competitions, with Real Madrid's 2-1 win in October 2025 the exception.
Raphinha has scored seven times against Real Madrid, second among Brazilians in Clasico history behind Vinicius Junior, who is suspended.
Mourinho and Hansi Flick have met once as managers, when Bayern Munich beat Tottenham 3-1 in December 2019.
Our Barcelona vs Real Madrid prediction and betting tips
Odds correct as of Friday 23 October 2026.
- Barcelona goals: Yamal, Raphinha and Gordon, with Raphinha also supplying an assist
- Real Madrid goal: Mbappe
- Table: a win would put Barcelona nine points clear of Real Madrid
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi is a sports writer with more than 1,000 published articles covering football and major sporting events worldwide. His knowledge spans leagues across the globe, including the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1. Combining research, insight and creativity, he enjoys finding fresh angles and delivering engaging coverage of the game's biggest stories.