Coming off the back of thrashing Bayern Munich with a 4-1 scoreline, Barcelona are ready for this season’s first Clásico.
Given the circumstances, Hansi Flick has had a dream start to life in Barcelona. Dani Olmo was the only true signing of the last transfer window, with a lot of exits taking place.
Having only lost two fixtures so far, one against Monaco in the Champions League, and the other against Osasuna, where Flick made a lot of experiments ahead of the international break, it seems as though his side has found their style. They play a more vertical style compared to what they did under Xavi, and seem more adaptable and ruthless in transition.
There has been no shortage of goals either: 33 scored, and only 10 conceded. 12 of those came from Lewandowski, 5 from Raphinha, and 4 from Lamine Yamal. The remaining 12 came from Pablo Torre, Dani Olmo, Pedri, Ferran, Pau Víctor and Jules Koundé. Real Valladolid, Getafe, BSC Young Boys, and Deportivo Alavés are the only sides that haven’t managed to hit the back of the net against Barcelona this season.
On the injury front, it’s been status quo for most of the season so far: Ronald Araujo injured. As were Frenkie de Jong and Gavi until very recently, not to mention Dani Olmo who was absent for a few matchdays. All three have returned and are in contention for Hansi Flick’s starting eleven Saturday night at the Santiago Bernabéu.
For Real Madrid, the story is a bit different: 24 goals scored, only 7 conceded, and three games in LaLiga tied: Mallorca, Las Palmas, and local rivals Atlético Madrid, all of which were away games. Their only loss in the Champions League came to Lille, also an away game, and a narrow 1-0 scoreline.
New marquee signing Kylian Mbappé has also struggled to find form under Carlo Ancelotti, with Vinicius Jr. and Jude Bellingham competing for spots in the front line. Bellingham has been subjected to an experiment by the technical staff, where he has been deployed as a central midfielder, which was said to be his primary role when he first joined.
He has since looked a shadow of the Jude of last season, and word has it the experiment is over, as they look to see him return to his output of the 2023/24 season. It would therefore not be too unexpected should he be starting in the front line when they take on El Clásico.
The game kicks off at 9:00PM and Blaugranagram will be covering the game live over on X.
