The 231st El Clasico took part at Camp Nou on Saturday night as Barcelona welcomed Real Madrid.
The home side entered the match atop the La Liga table - 10 points clear of third-place Real Madrid and looking to extend their unbeaten run in all competitions to 40 matches.
Both teams had opportunities in a tight first period, but neither could make the breakthrough in Catalonia.
Barcelona eventually took the lead in the 56th minute through Gerard Pique, but Real Madrid were back on terms just past the hour when Karim Benzema volleyed home from inside the box.
Sergio Ramos was given his marching orders late on as the visitors finished with 10, but Cristiano Ronaldo netted five minutes from time to secure all the points for Los Blancos.
Read how it all unfolded in Sports Mole's minute-by-minute live commentary of the action below.
Evening all! Sports Mole's live La Liga coverage continues from Camp Nou and it is quite a big one as Barcelona welcome Real Madrid for El Clasico. League leaders Barcelona are currently 10 points clear of third-place Real Madrid in the table and will be looking to stretch their unbeaten run in all competitions to 40 matches tonight. Real Madrid, however, will be out for revenge after their mauling at the Bernabeu in the reverse match earlier this season. This special fixture is upon us once again here!
Kickoff in Barcelona is not actually until 7.30pm (UK time) tonight, but be sure to remain with me for all the best build-up and eventually the team news, which is expected to land within the next 60 minutes. It will be very interesting to see whether the international break has forced either manager against selecting their strongest team due to fitness concerns – Real Madrid have an advantage there.
Indeed, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez have all had to travel back from South America for this match, while the same can also be said for Javier Mascherano and Dani Alves. Real Madrid, on the other hand, have had Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema back in Madrid and skipper Sergio Ramos also returned early from Spain duty. Of course, both teams have had a whole host of players involved with their national teams over the last two weeks, but Barcelona might well feel it more in this match.
Tonight will be the 231st El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid and 171 of those matches have taken place in La Liga. Real Madrid are just shading the overall head-to-head with 71 league victories to Barcelona's 68, while Real Madrid have scored 278 goals to Barcelona's 272. It is somewhat of a surprise that there have only been 32 league draws between these two teams!
Barcelona have actually won four of the last six matches between the two teams in all competitions, however, and have lost just one of their last seven home league games against Real Madrid – winning five times in the process. That run of form includes a 2-1 victory when the pair met at Camp Nou in the corresponding league match last season, with Suarez hitting the winner.
The two teams have, of course, also already met in the league this season and it was an incredible night for Barcelona, who recorded a 4-0 victory at the Bernabeu. Suarez scored twice in the clash back in November, which played a key role in Rafael Benitez losing his job with Los Blancos. That result actually moved Barcelona six points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the table, but that gap has now been stretched to 10 points with just eight games of the season to play in the top flight.
If you had been in space from the start of the season until now, you could be forgiven for thinking that it has been a disastrous campaign for Real Madrid, due to the fact that they are so far off the pace at this late stage. However, that has just not been the case. Los Blancos have won 20 of their 30 league games and lost just four times, but they find themselves in third spot in the league table.
Atletico Madrid, who are second, deserve great credit for their performances throughout the season and Diego Simeone's side are actually now just six points behind the leaders Barcelona, who have been quite stunning this season. Indeed, Barcelona have won 24 of their 30 league matches, drawing four times and losing just twice – they have been so unbelievably strong this term.
Barcelona and Real Madrid's goals scored and goals conceded records are also pretty similar. Barcelona have netted 86 times in their 30 matches, conceding 24 times in the process. Real Madrid, meanwhile, have 87 goals to their name and 28 conceded. It is the head-to-head record in Spain that stands over goal difference, however, and Barcelona are also ahead in that area.
Cristiano Ronaldo's 28 league goals this season see him top the scoring charts in La Liga, but Suarez is just two behind on 26, while Messi and Neymar have 22 and 21 respectively. Unsurprisingly, the top five scorers in the league belong to either Real Madrid or Barcelona, with Karim Benzema (20) completing that list. Oh no, double trouble has arrived for Real Madrid here...
Messi is also the leading scorer in Clasico history on 21 goals, but one for the Argentine this evening would take him clear of Alfredo di Stefano on 14 league goals in this fixture. Ronaldo, meanwhile, has managed seven league goals against Barcelona and 15 in total. Both superstars, fitness permitting, will start tonight as the two best players in the world clash once again.
There is no downplaying the importance of tonight's match, but both will also have one eye on their respective Champions League quarter-final first legs next week. Barcelona will welcome league rivals Atletico Madrid to Camp Nou on Tuesday night, before Real Madrid travel to Wolfsburg on Wednesday. With all respect to Wolfsburg, Barcelona have the tougher tie and will also play one day earlier, which has arguably placed Real Madrid in a better position in terms of fitness tonight.
Barcelona, as mentioned, are also still on this incredible unbeaten run, which now stands at 39 matches in all competitions. The last team to beat them were Sevilla at the start of October and since then, they have won the Club World Cup, reached the Copa del Rey final, made the Champions League quarter-finals and opened up a strong lead at the top of the league table.
The Catalan outfit were perhaps a touch fortunate to draw at Villarreal before the international break, however, and will be wary of a Real Madrid response tonight. Indeed, since losing 1-0 at home to Atletico on February 27, Real Madrid have won their last five games in all competitions – four of which have been in the league. Tonight's team news is expected to land in the near future!
While Barcelona drew 2-2 at Villarreal before the international break, Real Madrid thumped Sevilla 4-0 at the Bernabeu. It would be fair to say that injuries have harmed Real Madrid this season, but Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema are both now back to fitness and will more than likely join a certain Cristiano Ronaldo in the final third tonight. Winning the league this season seems impossible, but they will want to end the season strongly and indeed challenge for an 11th European Cup.
DID YOU KNOW? The biggest-ever El Clasico victory came in 1943, when Real Madrid recorded an 11-1 win over Barcelona in the Copa del Rey. Real Madrid also beat Barcelona 8-2 in the 1934-35 La Liga season, which is the highest league score between the pair. Not sure I fancy that score tonight though!
The team news is expected to land in the next couple of minutes, although the suggestions are that as expected, Messi, Neymar, Suarez, Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema will all start at Camp Nou...
This is very pleasant it must be said...
TEAMS!
BARCA: Bravo; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta; Neymar, Suarez, Messi
REAL: Navas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Modric, Kroos; Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale
So there we have it! In truth, there are no surprises in either team tonight. It is Barcelona's strongest available side, with Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano starting as the two centre-backs. Andres Iniesta has also shaken off a muscular problem to start, while as expected, Neymar, Suarez and Messi all start in the final third. It is the XI that the supporters would have wanted!
As for Real Madrid, Dani Carvajal has been picked ahead of Danilo at right-back in what was the only tough call for Zinedine Zidane before kickoff. Casemiro's midfield inclusion has left Isco and James Rodriguez both on the bench, while Sergio Ramos is fit despite suffering a back injury on international duty. Benzema and Bale are also both available to join Ronaldo in the final third.
So there we have it. The two teams are in and we are now little over 45 minutes from kickoff on this mild evening in Barcelona. Safe to say that the atmosphere is building inside the stadium and the players will soon emerge on the pitch to start their warm-ups. The pitch is in beautiful condition and it is another chance to see some of the best players in world football clash once again.
Tonight will also see a special tribute to Johan Cruyff, who passed away earlier this week following a battle with cancer. The Dutchman represented Barcelona as a player between 1973 and 1978, before managing the Catalan side between 1988 and 1996. At the helm, Cruyff led the Spanish giants to four La Liga titles and the 1992 European Cup. He will receive a great send-off tonight.
The huge 'Gracias Johan' mosaic will take place before kickoff and there will also be an applause in the 14th minute to mark the passing of the legend. Tributes have poured in throughout the last few days and it will be an emotional night for those involved. As a player, he won the Ballon d'Or three times and was one of the most famous exponents of Total Football. Cruyff was one of the best of all time.
Right, let's take a look at what both of these teams have to come in the final weeks of the season. Barcelona's next league match is away to Real Sociedad next weekend, before they welcome Valencia to Camp Nou on April 17. In theory, that should be two wins, but Sociedad have a knack of pulling off surprise results and Valencia are full of talent despite their struggles throughout the season.
Then comes a trip to Deportivo La Coruna on April 20, before welcoming Sporting Gijon on April 23. The Catalan giants will then travel to Real Betis and welcome Espanyol, before ending their season with a trip to Granada. In truth, it is very, very difficult to imagine Barcelona dropping many points during their final eight matches and they already have such a healthy cushion at the summit.
Barcelona will, of course, also hope to challenge for another Champions League crown and they will also face Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final at the end of May. Back-to-back trebles would be a quite remarkable achievement and although they will fancy their chances of winning the league and the cup, the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid will have something to say about the European Cup.
As for Real Madrid, they were expelled from the Copa del Rey earlier this season after fielding an ineligible player in what was an embarrassing turn of events for Los Blancos. They are still in the mix for the Champions League and like Barcelona, have seven league games after this match. The title is surely gone, but they will want to finish above capital rivals Atletico in second position.
Real Madrid's next league match is at home to Eibar next weekend, before they travel to struggling Getafe one week later. A tricky home match against top-four hopefuls Villarreal will arrive on April 20, before they face capital rivals Rayo Vallecano away from home on April 23. Aside from the Villarreal game, it is a pretty comfortable run of four league games after this match for Zidane's team.
May 1 brings a trip to Real Sociedad for Los Blancos, before welcoming Valencia in their penultimate league game of the season. The Madrid giants will then end their league campaign with a trip to Deportivo La Coruna, who are enjoying an impressive season. Real Madrid have a slightly tougher finish than Barcelona on paper, but both will expect to collect a healthy points total.
Real Madrid have 32 La Liga titles to Barcelona's 23, but the hard facts are that Real Madrid have only won one La Liga crown since the 2007-08 season. That sole success arrived in 2012 and since then, they have had to watch Barcelona and Madrid rivals Atletico share the trophy. Carlo Ancelotti was unable to wrestle the crown from Camp Nou and Zinedine Zidane will surely fail this season.
Luis Figo represented both Barcelona and Real Madrid during a wonderful playing career, but who is he supporting tonight? The Portuguese is not afraid to show his allegiance for tonight's match...
I have already mentioned how many goals Messi and Ronaldo have scored this season, but what about overall in La Liga? Messi has 308 goals in 340 league appearances, while Ronaldo has 253 in 230. Let that sink in for a moment – Ronaldo has a better record than one every league game for Los Blancos. A side note – could this be his last league Clasico? Will he leave at the end of the season?
Barcelona have gone 22 league games in a row without losing at Camp Nou – winning 20 times in the process. However, Real Madrid are currently on their best winning La Liga run under Zidane (four). It is perhaps not a significant match in terms of the title race this season, but both will be desperate to collect all the points. Kickoff at Camp Nou is now just around the corner!
PREDICTION! Barcelona will rightly enter the match as the favourites on home soil, but I just have a feeling that Real Madrid will avoid defeat tonight. I am hoping for an open and entertaining match and that should be the case with the players on display! Desmond for me. A score draw of 2-2!
A reminder of the two starting teams for tonight's match...
BARCA: Bravo; Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta; Neymar, Suarez, Messi
REAL: Navas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Modric, Kroos; Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale
Excellent tribute to Johan Cruyff tonight...
'Gracies Johan' is the clear message in the stands ahead of kickoff. Jordi Cruyff, son of the late Johan, is in attendance tonight. It has been a wonderful tribute to the great man at Camp Nou.
KICKOFF! Here we go then - the pre-match handshakes have been undertaken and the flags have been exchanged. It is Barcelona against Real Madrid and as expected, the atmosphere inside the stadium is magical. Who will triumph tonight? It is the home side that kick things off at Camp Nou...
... both teams will surely want to have a look at each other in the opening five, 10 minutes here. But as expected, it is Barcelona in control of the early possession. You just sense that the first goal - if there indeed is one - could be crucial. Real Madrid have dropped off a touch from kickoff here.
Pepe and Busquets have just clashed in the Real Madrid half and it was a heavy challenge from Pepe to say the least! Both players felt it and Pepe takes a while to return to his feet here!
I just hope that we are not talking about the referee after tonight's match, which is too often the case in clashes between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Suarez once again threatens to break clear of the Real Madrid defensive line and the offside flag is very kind to the visitors - Suarez looked on!
It is going to be a long, difficult night for the referee as Casemiro bundles Rakitic to the deck and Barcelona win a free kick in a wide, but dangerous position. Messi stands over the set piece...
... instead Neymar finds Iniesta, who looks for the run of Messi, but Ramos clears down-field.
As expected, Real Madrid's players are being booed with early touch here and it is Barcelona that have seen most of the ball in the opening eight minutes. Zidane is not too happy about something as he goes a little bonkers on the touchline, but the referee has been a little kind to his team so far!
It is almost as if Barcelona are playing a diamond formation in midfield - Busquets at the bottom and Messi at the top. Real Madrid, on the other hand, are playing a straight 4-3-3 formation. Rakitic comes close to sliding a pass into the path of Suarez, but Navas is quick to claim the ball.
CHANCE! What a miss that is! Barcelona have a golden chance to take the lead as Neymar runs away from Ramos before delivering a wonderful low cross into Suarez, but the striker cannot find a touch and the chance is gone! It is a quite incredible miss from the Uruguay international!
BOOKING! Ramos (Real Madrid) is booked for dissent.
Plenty for the referee to get his teeth into at the moment as late challenges continue to arrive in the middle of the park. I suspect that we have not seen the last of the cards in this match!
Real Madrid are keeping a very high line at the moment, but it does seem very risky due to the pace that Barcelona possess in the final third of the field. Suarez has already had a wonderful chance to make the breakthrough and there is space for Neymar in wide positions as Real Madrid press forward.
Super defending from Pique as the Barcelona centre-back manages to block a low cross from Bale, which seemed to be heading for Ronaldo at the far post. Still goalless with 16 minutes on the clock.
BOOKING! Carvajal (Real Madrid) is booked for a late challenge on Iniesta.
CLOSE! Messi's free kick just misses the crossbar!
SAVE! Navas gets down to keep out Rakitic's low strike as Barcelona continue to create in the final third. Super low stop from the Costa Rican, who must have seen it very, very late!
Real Madrid just cannot find a route out at the moment as Barcelona continue to dominate possession of the ball. The only thing missing for the home side is a goal, but they are opening up the away side each time that they break forward. Surely only a matter of time at Camp Nou!
Suarez fires over following another smart piece of combination play with Neymar up top.
PENALTY SHOUT! Messi dances past a couple of challenges before attempting to move past Ramos, but according to the referee, the centre-back got enough on the ball! The home supporters want a penalty and so does Luis Enrique, but the official was quick to shake his head.
SAVE! Ronaldo tests Bravo from distance, but the Chilean makes the save! Real Madrid keep the ball alive and Bale strikes from inside the box, but his effort was always over!
BOOKING! Suarez (Barcelona) is booked for a strong challenge on Pepe.
BOOKING! Mascherano (Barcelona) is booked for bringing Bale to the deck.
Real Madrid have a free kick in Ronaldo territory here. Chance to test Bravo...
... Ronaldo takes the set piece, but his effort was always moving just over Bravo's net.
It has been better from Real Madrid in the last few minutes, but they are still giving away some sloppy balls and Barcelona do not need encouragement to drive forward. Messi continues to come deep and pick up possession and Casemiro is not really going with the Argentine at the moment.
Messi sends Neymar racing away down the left, but Pepe is across to stop the Brazilian and Real Madrid can launch a break of their own. Ronaldo cuts a low cross towards Bale, but Alba is across to clear and the end-to-end period of the match continues. Still goalless with 34 on the clock here.
Iniesta feed a low pass into Suarez and the striker attempts to turn the ball into Neymar, but Real Madrid again have good numbers back and the danger is cleared. Clear chances have been few and far between in this match, but Real Madrid are certainly more comfortable than they were.
Little bit naughty from Messi as the Argentine seems to catch Casemiro late and Ramos has something to say to the referee. Now Sergio, you have already been booked - no trouble please!
Not too much to report in terms of chances in the last few moments and the atmosphere inside the stadium is a reflection of that. Little bit quiet at the moment as we approach the break here.
You just get the feeling that something is waiting to explode here - a sending off, a goal. Something of that nature. This game is always on the edge and the next few minutes could be vital as we approach the half-time interval. Alves tries his luck on the run, but his effort whips over Navas's net!
CHANCE! Comfortably Real Madrid's best chance of the first period as Benzema finds all sorts of space inside the Barcelona box, but his effort is into the stands - wow!
Pepe gets up inside the Barcelona box and Ramos looks to turn home from close range, but the centre-back is penalised for a high foot and the home side have a free kick in their own box.
HALF-TIME: Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
So there we have it. The referee brings the first period to a close with the two teams level at 0-0. Both sides have had chances to make the breakthrough, but Suarez missed Barcelona's best opportunity, before Benzema fired Real Madrid's best opening over the crossbar late in the half!
STATS! Barcelona have shaded the possession with 59%, while they have had six attempts - two of which were on target. Real Madrid have also managed two attempts on target, but both were fairly routine saves for Bravo. As expected, it has been a feisty half in terms of challenges and both teams have picked up two bookings - Suarez and Mascherano for Barcelona and Ramos and Carvajal for Real.
BENCH WATCH! Barcelona have fit-again Rafinha back on their bench tonight, although it would be a surprise to see the Brazilian in the second period. Munir El-Haddadi, Arda Turan and Sergi Roberto are also options for the home team. Real Madrid, meanwhile, have an embarrassment of riches on their bench in the shape of Isco, James Rodriguez, Jese Rodriguez and Lucas Vasquez.
Messi and Ronaldo have both had opportunities tonight...
RESTART! Here we go then - both sets of players re-join us on the pitch for the second period. Will we have a breakthrough at Camp Nou? Let's find out! Real Madrid resume the action tonight...
... no changes from either side at the break, which is not too much of a surprise at this stage of events. However, I suspect that both managers will have alterations in mind for this half of action.
Ramos dives in on Suarez and the Barcelona players want another yellow card, but the referee is not interested. Ramos seems to have got away with another one there - good grief Sergio!
Messi once again takes the resulting free kick, but his effort was always too high.
Bale and Ronaldo are both performing their defensive duties for Real Madrid at the moment and as a result, Barcelona are finding it difficult in the final third. The visitors manage to break with Benzema, but the Frenchman cannot evade Pique, who stands tall to make a fine block.
Alves has just thrown himself to the ground inside the Barcelona box and it appears that Ramos swung his elbow towards the head of the Brazilian. What on earth is Ramos doing there!
A deflected strike from Modric threatens to unnerve Bravo in the Barcelona goal, but in the end, it is a fairly routine save for the Chilean. Still goalless with 53 minutes on the clock in Catalonia.
SAVE! Super goalkeeping from Navas as the Costa Rican flies across his goal to keep out a chipped effort from Messi. Neymar and Suarez were both involved in the move and it was the first time that Real Madrid have been seriously opened up since the interval here.
GOAL! Barcelona 1-0 Real Madrid (Pique)
Barcelona make the breakthrough in the 56th minute as Pique thumps a header past Navas from close range. It was a super corner from Rakitic and Pique was above everyone to power home!
BOOKING! Rakitic (Barcelona) is booked for a late challenge on Marcelo.
Little under 30 minutes of football remaining at Camp Nou and as it stands, Barcelona are moving 13 points clear of third-place Real Madrid in the table. This is more than three points though, it would be another massive blow to Real Madrid, who just cannot beat their rivals at the moment.
We are entering the stage of the match where both managers will be considering changes, but Zidane's need is greater than that of Enrique. James Rodriguez and Isco are two options for Real.
GOAL! Barcelona 1-1 Real Madrid (Benzema)
We are all square here! Real Madrid level the scores in the 62nd minute as Benzema brilliantly volleys into the back of the net after a cross from Kroos had been blocked into the path of the Frenchman. It was not quite an over-head kick, but along those lines for the returning striker!
I would be surprised if we had seen the last of the goals this evening as both teams continue to commit players in the final third. It has been a brilliant last 10 minutes or so at Camp Nou.
Little over 20 minutes of this La Liga contest remaining and in truth, both managers would be pretty happy if it finished 1-1. Real Madrid are out of the title race and Barcelona would move seven points clear of second-place Atletico if it remained all square in the final stage of this match.
SAVE! Bravo gets down to keep out a low strike from Bale.
There is a strange atmosphere inside the stadium at the moment, with the home supporters fairly quiet despite the tension on the field. You just get the feeling that there is another major incident to come tonight, but that could be a red card rather than a goal. A half-chance comes for Barcelona as Messi heads down to Suarez inside the box, but his strike is blocked and ultimately drops behind.
BARCELONA SUB! Turan for Rakitic is the first change of the match tonight.
Little under 15 minutes of this second period remaining and as it stands, not too much is happening in either half of the field. Both teams, unsurprisingly, are a little bit cautious at the moment.
REAL MADRID SUB! Jese Rodriguez replaces Benzema for the home side.
Ronaldo is still full of running for Real Madrid in the final third, but the attacker has another strike blocked as Mascherano races across to make the challenge. End-to-end football as Suarez then fires wide of the post down the other end. We could be heading for some final 10 minutes here!
GOAL DISALLOWED! Bale heads past Bravo and Real Madrid look to have taken the lead, but the referee blows for a foul on Alba! It is very, very harsh! What a call from the official!
CROSSBAR! Ronaldo rattles the crossbar for Real Madrid as the visitors come close once again. Barcelona cannot seem to deal with the intensity at the moment!
RED CARD! RAMOS!
No surprises as Ramos is given his second yellow card for a terrible challenge on Suarez!
GOAL! Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid (Ronaldo)
Oh my word! Real Madrid take the lead in the 85th minute as Ronaldo controls a high Bale cross before firing his effort home from inside the box! What scenes at Camp Nou here!
Barcelona will continue to press forward late on, but Real Madrid have been so impressive in this second period and it does appear that Barcelona's long unbeaten run will come to an end.
REAL MADRID SUB! Lucas Vasquez replaces Bale for the visitors.
We are into the second of two additional minutes at Camp Nou.
CHANCE! Casemiro blocks Turan's close-range strike!
FULL-TIME: Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid
So there we have it. The referee brings the second period to a close with Real Madrid running out 2-1 winners at Barcelona courtesy of that late winner from Ronaldo. Barcelona's long unbeaten run is over and Los Blancos are arguably now back in the title race. Thanks for joining Sports Mole for the action once again and be sure to stick around for all of the reaction from Camp Nou!
