The most heavily awaited fixture on the La Liga calendar is on Saturday as Barcelona and Real Madrid go head-to-head in the first El Clasico of the 2023/24 season.
Despite lacking several significant first-team stars, Xavi Hernandez’s side made a potentially decisive step towards reaching the Champions League knockout stage after back-to-back group-stage eliminations on Wednesday.
Ferran Torres and Fermin Lopez were on the scoresheet as the injury-plagued reigning Spanish champions squeezed past Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 at the Estadio Olimpico.
Virtually unplayable on their temporary home ground, the Catalan heavyweights have won all seven competitive games here this term, including a narrow 1-0 triumph over Athletic Bilbao.
If there’s a side capable of knocking Barcelona off their perch, it’s Madrid.
Los Blancos maintained their perfect Champions League start on Tuesday with a 2-1 victory at Sporting Braga, courtesy of another goal from Jude Bellingham.
The 20-year-old has been in red-hot form this season and tops the scoring charts in La Liga with eight goals despite firing a blank in a 1-1 draw at Sevilla last weekend.
Bellingham’s jaw-dropping exploits have massively contributed to Carlo Ancelotti’s team entering this round as the joint-league leaders alongside Girona, albeit only one point clear of third-placed Barcelona.
Madrid suffered a 2-1 defeat in this match-up last term, which swayed the title race in the Catalans’ favour, laying the foundation for their 27th La Liga title, so they’ll be out to settle the score.
Credit: footballtoday.com
