The two most-storied club in Spanish football will do battle today in a league match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The first-division clash scheduled for 12 p.m. ET will be held at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on beIN Sports.
What They're Saying
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema (via Inside Spanish Football): "I always give everything on the pitch. It doesn't matter what competition I play in, although I seem to have more luck when it comes to goals in this one. Playing against Barcelona is always difficult, but we're feeling good and we're going to win."
Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta (via Inside Spanish Football): "I don't know who will have possession. It will be a footballing battle. You have to be better at everything to beat Madrid. Whether Bale plays or not will change their style of play a little, but it won't change our style. Madrid wants to have the ball and hit us on the counter. We also want to have the ball because that minimizes their danger."
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: With Gareth Bale succumbing to injury, Real Madrid turn to 22-year-old Isco. The Spaniard has four assists in eight league appearances and is averaging 1.3 key passes.
Real Madrid's Projected Lineup (4-4-2): Casillas; Carvajal, Varane, Pepe, Marcelo; James, Modric, Kroos, Isco; CR7, Benzema
Barcelona's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Bravo; Alves, Piqué, Mathieu, Alba; Mascherano, Rakitic, Xavi; Iniesta, Messi, Neymar
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (lineups and statistics via WhoScored).
Standings
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FC Barcelona | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 22 | 22 | |||
| 2 | Sevilla FC | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 19 | |||
| 3 | Real Madrid CF | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 30 | 9 | 21 | 18 | |||
| 4 | Valencia CF | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 17 | |||
| 5 | Atlético Madrid | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 17 | |||
| 6 | Celta de Vigo | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 16 | |||
| 7 | Villarreal CF | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 14 | |||
| 8 | Málaga CF | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 8 | -1 | 12 | |||
| 9 | Rayo Vallecano | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 12 | -1 | 11 | |||
| 10 | Getafe CF | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 12 | -6 | 10 | |||
| 11 | RCD Espanyol | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 9 | |||
| 12 | Eibar | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 10 | -2 | 9 | |||
| 13 | UD Almería | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 9 | -2 | 9 | |||
| 14 | Granada CF | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 12 | -7 | 8 | |||
| 15 | Deportivo La Coruña | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 19 | -8 | 7 | |||
| 16 | Real Sociedad | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 13 | -4 | 5 | |||
| 17 | Athletic Club | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 12 | -7 | 5 | |||
| 18 | Elche CF | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 18 | -11 | 5 | |||
| 19 | Levante UD | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 23 | -19 | 5 | |||
| 20 | Córdoba CF | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 13 | -8 | 4 |
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