TonightâÂÂs game also takes place against a weekend of unrest in Barcelona. There were 128 arrests overnight for acts of âÂÂvandalism, damage to public property and lootingâ in the city centre, according to the regional Catalan police.
The match is still going ahead, with an increased security presence already in place after the game was deemed âÂÂhigh-riskâ by police last week. Back in 2019, this fixture was postponed due to protests in Barcelona.
WeâÂÂll have full team news shortly, but Real Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois has already been ruled out of tonightâÂÂs game due to illness. âÂÂCourtois is a last-minute withdrawal (from the squad) due to a bout of the flu,â Madrid said in a statement. The Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin is set to step in for MourinhoâÂÂs side.
Is the clásico making a comeback? A bitter rivalry that has raged for more than a century, Barcelona v Real Madrid may have been the worldâÂÂs biggest sporting fixture during the era of Ronaldo and Messi, Mourinho and Guardiola. Incredibly skilful players dragged into extraordinarily spiteful on-pitch battles, each game felt like a heavyweight title fight.
These two teams remain the dominant forces in Spain, and their mutual hatred of one another is still very much intact. Still, the clásico has lost some of its intensity in recent years â but there are signs it may be coming back. Chief among those signs is MourinhoâÂÂs dramatic return to Real Madrid, where he is rebuilding the media war that wore both coaches out at the end of the rivalryâÂÂs unmissable age.
There is also, crucially, a touch of jeopardy about tonightâÂÂs game, particularly for the visitors. Hansi FlickâÂÂs Barcelona have started the league season with nine straight wins and are six points ahead of Madrid; that gap could be nine points, or three points, after tonightâÂÂs events at Camp Nou. The outcome may depend on Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappé, two exceptional players poised to dominate this derby for the next decade.
In short, the biggest game in world football is back. Kick-off is at 8pm GMT, 9pm local time, so get comfortable.