Real Madrid vs Barcelona Preview: Start Time, Team News, How To Watch, Live Stream & Odds
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The first El Clásico of the season sees Real Madrid and Barcelona separated by just two points at the top of La Liga. Facing off at the Bernabéu, the home side will look to put some distance between themselves and their fierce rivals and go five points clear in first place.
After a poor display in a 5-2 loss against city rivals Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid have bounced back in terms of their league form with a victory over Villarreal and a hard-fought three points away at Getafe. Midweek action would also see Los Blancos continue their winning streak, seeing off Italian giants Juventus 1-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Jude Bellingham's goal made it four wins in a row for Real Madrid, as Xabi Alonso will be in search of victory in his first managerial El Clásico. However, he will not be joined on the sideline by Barcelona manager Hansi Flick.
Back-to-back yellow cards in stoppage time of Barcelona's local derby with Girona means that the German manager will watch the La Liga clash from the stands. Although Flick appealed the suspension, his attempts were unsuccessful. In the technical area for Barcelona will be the Catalonian side's assistant manager, Marcus Song.
Barcelona were able to end a spell of unconvincing performances in the Champions League midweek, with a 6-1 win over Greek side Olympiacos. Before that, Barcelona suffered back-to-back defeats to PSG and Sevilla, with the latter being a 4-1 loss in the south of Spain.
Their last league result would see them defeat Girona; however, Barcelona left it late to win the game 2-1 in stoppage time.
The historic clash on Sunday will likely maintain its tense nature, with recent meetings between the sides resulting in plenty of highlights. Despite previous meetings over the last 12 months seeing plenty of goals, it has been the Catalan side who have enjoyed more success.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Head-To-Head
Date | Result |
|---|---|
May 11, 2025 | Barcelona 4-3 Real Madrid |
April 26, 2025 | Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid |
January 12, 2025 | Real Madrid 2-5 Barcelona |
October 26, 2024 | Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona |
August 3, 2024 | Real Madrid 1-2 Barcelona |
Real Madrid Team News
It appears as if Real Madrid will be bolstered by having either Trent Alexander-Arnold or Dani Carvajal fit for the game on Sunday, as both men are returning to fitness. This means the only two players ruled out of El Clásico on Sunday are David Alaba, who suffered a calf injury versus Getafe, and Antonio Rüdiger.
Potentially the biggest question mark in the Real Madrid team is who will feature on the right wing. Brahim Diaz got the nod on Wednesday night against Juventus, but Alonso may look to include Franco Mastantuono instead.
👀 ¡Miradas puestas en el Clásico! pic.twitter.com/ojKPjAYKwN
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) October 24, 2025
Barcelona Team News
Barcelona have plenty of injury problems to concern them going into the first El Clásico of the season. Both Joan Garcia and Marc-Andre Ter Stagen remain sidelined, meaning Polish veteran Wojciech Szczesny is expected to reprise his goalkeeping duties.
Despite Raphina working his way back to fitness, he has been ruled out of the meeting with Real Madrid. He is joined on the sidelines by the likes of Dani Olmo, Gavi, and Robert Lewandowski. However, in-form players for Barcelona, Fermin Lopez and Marcus Rashford, will look to be the threat to Real Madrid's fractured defense.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Odds
Odds courtesy of DraftKings.
Moneyline:
Real Madrid: -105
Draw: +330
Barcelona: +220
Both teams to score:
Yes: -350
No: +255
Total goals:
Real Madrid: 1.5 (Over -230; Under: +155)
Barcelona: 1.5 (Over -130; Under: -115)
Double chance:
Real Madrid or tie: -290
Barcelona or tie: -120
Real Madrid or Barcelona: -475
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Date
Date: Sunday, October 26, 2025
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Kick-Off Time
Time: 10.15 a.m. EST (7.15am PST, 4:15 p.m. local time)
How To Watch & Live Stream Real Madrid vs Barcelona
United States: ESPN +, ESPN Deportes.
Canada: TSN+.
United Kingdom: Premier Sports
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
The Latest Real Madrid News
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Head Coach Hansi Flick Will Not Be on the Touchline for Barcelona in the El Clasico
Donal Long is a football journalist for Real Madrid on SI, hailing from Dublin, Ireland. Prior to joining On SI in 2025, Donal graduated from Dublin City University with a bachelor's degree in media production management. He has also covered European football on sites such as SportsJOE and GiveMeSport. Donal has been a huge sports fan for all of his life, which has seen him travel to stadiums throughout Europe, including attending La Liga matches in Spain. He also contributes as a boxing journalist for KO on SI.