Barcelona vs Real Madrid preview: perfect Barça meet Mourinho's Madrid

The first Clásico of the 2026-27 season is at Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday 25 October. Barcelona go in with a perfect league record. Real Madrid have José Mourinho back in the dugout, but Vinícius Júnior is suspended. Odds, line-ups and live stats are on the Barcelona vs Real Madrid match page.

Where the table stands

After nine rounds of La Liga, Barcelona have won 9 out of 9. That's 27 points, with 39 goals scored and 9 conceded. Atlético Madrid are second on 22. Real Madrid are third on 21 points, with seven wins and two defeats.

The maths is simple. A home win would put Barcelona nine points clear of Madrid and make it ten league wins in a row. A Madrid win would cut the gap to three.

Barcelona: a perfect league run, a bruising week

Hansi Flick's side beat Real Betis 5-2 away last weekend. Then they lost 4-2 at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, their first defeat of the season.

That night cost them Dani Olmo. The club confirmed a left adductor injury, and he is expected to miss around a month. That rules him out of Sunday's game, the league games against Alavés and Atlético Madrid, and the Champions League game against Aston Villa. Flick has to find a new link between midfield and attack.

Real Madrid: firing, but without Vinícius

Madrid arrive on a strong run of scorelines. They beat Sevilla 4-1 at the Bernabéu last Sunday, with Mbappé scoring twice, then beat RB Leipzig 4-1 at the Bernabéu on Wednesday. Bernardo Silva, Arda Güler, Kylian Mbappé and Yan Diomande scored against Leipzig.

Vinícius Júnior will not play. He was sent off against Villarreal on 10 October for pulling Nathan Saliba's hair, minutes after coming on as a substitute. The Spanish federation banned him for four games: two for the offence and two for his protests afterwards. The ban covers league games against Sevilla, Barcelona, Racing Santander and Valencia, so the earliest he can return in La Liga is against Celta Vigo on 22 November. He is still available in the Champions League.

Last time at Camp Nou

The previous league Clásico, on 10 May 2026, also took place in Barcelona. Barça won 2-0, with first-half goals from Marcus Rashford and Ferran Torres. That result clinched the 2025-26 title, Barcelona's 29th, with three games to spare.

What to watch

• Barcelona's midfield without Olmo against a Madrid side that has scored four in each of its last two games.
• Madrid's attack without Vinícius, and how Mourinho reshapes it around Mbappé and Jude Bellingham.
• Fatigue. Barcelona played in Paris on Tuesday and Madrid hosted Leipzig on Wednesday, so both sides have had a short turnaround.

Our model's view and the best prices across the market are on the match page and the predictions page. 18+, bet responsibly.

Sources

• ESPN — Barcelona confirm Dani Olmo adductor injury, could miss one month
• beIN Sports — Dani Olmo ruled out of El Clásico as Barcelona face injury blow
• CBS Sports — Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr banned for four games and will miss El Clasico vs. Barcelona
• Al Jazeera — Real Madrid's Vinicius banned for Clasico after hair-pull red card
• ESPN — Real Madrid 4-1 RB Leipzig (Oct 21, 2026) Game Analysis
• Bundesliga.com — RB Leipzig suffer comprehensive Champions League defeat away to Real Madrid
• Khaleej Times — Mbappe double helps Real Madrid sweep aside Sevilla ahead of El Clasico
• Sky Sports — La Liga table
• Khaleej Times — Barca claim La Liga title with Clasico win over Real Madrid
• Tribune India — Clinical Barcelona capture back-to-back La Liga title, beat arch-rivals Real Madrid 2-0