SportsFootball
Perfect Barcelona host Real Madrid without Vinícius in Sunday's Clásico
Hansi Flick's leaders have won all nine La Liga games. Real Madrid arrive third, on a four-match winning run, but without their suspended Brazilian forward.
Key points
- Barcelona have won nine La Liga games out of nine and lead the table by six points.
- Vinícius Júnior is serving a four-match ban after a red card against Villarreal.
- Kick-off at Camp Nou is 9 pm local on Sunday, 1:30 am IST on Monday.
Barcelona put a perfect league record on the line against Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday, in the first Clásico of the season. Hansi Flick’s side have won all nine of their La Liga matches and lead the table by six points. Real Madrid are third and have won four in a row, but they will be without Vinícius Júnior, who is serving a four-match league ban after his red card against Villarreal.
Kick-off is at 9 pm in Barcelona, which is 1:30 am IST on Monday.
Form and fitness
Barcelona have scored 39 league goals, among them a 5-2 win at Real Betis, and Lamine Yamal has eight. Their one defeat this season came in midweek, 4-2 to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Flick is without Dani Olmo, who has a left adductor injury and is out for about a month, as well as Eric García and Andreas Christensen. Jules Koundé is doubtful with an ankle sprain, while Raphinha is fit again after a hamstring problem.
Madrid have looked sharper in recent weeks. They beat RB Leipzig 4-1 in the Champions League and Sevilla 4-1 in the league, with Kylian Mbappé scoring twice against Sevilla to take his league tally to nine. Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo are out and Ferland Mendy is a doubt.
The recent record
The history of the fixture favours Madrid overall, with 80 league wins to Barcelona’s 77 and 35 draws, but the recent run belongs to Barcelona. They won the title-deciding meeting at Camp Nou 2-0 in May and have taken the last two league Clásicos at home.