Barcelona earned a 2-2 draw against Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday evening, despite playing the duration of the second half with 10 men.
The Catalan giants had already been pegged back by the time Sergi Roberto was dismissed on the stroke of half time, as Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez shared a goal apiece.
Despite the man disadvantage, Barca regained the lead less than 10 minutes after the restart through a Lionel Messi strike, only for Gareth Bale to net an impressive goal of his own to conclude the scoring.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the La Liga meeting between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou. Barca have already wrapped up the title and now have just four more games to tick off if they are to see out the campaign unbeaten, with this undoubtedly the toughest of their remaining fixtures.
BARCELONA TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Umtiti, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta; Coutinho, L.Suarez, Messi
SUBS: Cillessen, Paulinho, Dembele, Alcacer, Semedo, D.Suarez, Vermaelen
Starting with a look at the home side, the big news is that Andres Iniesta is deemed fit enough to start, making this his last taste of this famous fixture. Philippe Coutinho is given the nod in attack, meanwhile, with Ousmane Dembele finding himself on the bench, but it remains to be seen whether he will slot into the forward line or take up a spot in a midfield four.
The other selection call Valverde had to make this evening was at right-back, where Sergio Roberto is preferred to Nelson Semedo. Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti and Jordi Alba complete the back four, sitting ahead of Marc-Andre ter Stegen, while Sergio Busquets and Ivan Rakitic will be utilised in the middle of the pitch. The title may have been secured, but Valverde was always going to go with his strongest XI.
REAL MADRID TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Navas; Nacho, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo
SUBS: Casilla, Vallejo, Theo, Lucas, Asensio, Kovacic, Ceballos
The big news as far as the visitors are concerned is that Gareth Bale is restored to the forward line, joining Cristiano Ronaldo and a perhaps-rejuvenated Karim Benzema - the 'BBC' is back! Zinedine Zidane was without first-choice right-back Dani Carvajal against Bayern Munich in midweek and Nacho also sat that one out, meaning Lucas Vazquez was used out of position, but there is some good news as Nacho has returned to fitness and starts.
Isco continues to miss out through injury, but Raphael Varane - a real doubt this evening - is passed fit and starts alongside El Clasico veteran Sergio Ramos in the heart of defence. Out on the left is another experienced player in Marcelo, and further forward Casemiro returns to defensive midfield following the decision to use Mateo Kovacic there against Bayern in midweek.
Barcelona's 4-2 win at Deportivo La Coruna last weekend sealed the title and also condemned their opponents to relegation at the same time. Lionel Messi bagged yet another hat-trick in that match and now has 117 La Liga goals to his name, and he will be keen to add to that tally - as well as his 25 goals in El Clasico fixtures - in this blockbuster clash at Camp Nou to round off the day's matches.
The aim for Barca now that they have clawed the title back from Madrid's clutches is to see out the season unbeaten, which no side has achieved since the 1930s. Following today's tough fixture against last season's title winners, the Catalans face Villarreal, Levante and Real Sociedad - three games you would expect them to come through unscathed. Victory here, then, will surely put them on their way to some history.
Barca also thrashed Sevilla 5-0 last month to retain the Copa del Rey, making it a domestic double in Valverde's first campaign. That is quite some achievement, having been completely written-off at the start of the season following a pretty resounding aggregate loss to Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana. Exiting the Champions League was disappointing, of course, especially due to the manner of the Roma defeat, but Valverde can be happy enough with the way 2017-18 has panned out.
Real head into this match on the back of a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich in midweek, which secured their place in the final of the Champions League. That is a competition that they quite simply love these days, winning it in back-to-back campaigns and three times in four years, and that is undoubtedly their priority for the remaining weeks of the season. Second on the list of things to achieve for Zidane, though, is finishing second to Barcelona.
Los Blancos have lost just one of their last 13 matches but their title challenge has effectively been over since December, when going down 3-0 in the reverse fixture to Barca on home soil, leaving them playing catch-up ever since. They are now 15 points adrift of the champions but, more importantly at this stage, they are four behind Atletico Madrid in second place with two games in hand to play.
A surprise defeat for Atleti at home to Espanyol has left the door open for city rivals Real to pounce - it is now in their hands with four games to play, albeit with this the most difficult fixture on their calendar. Following this trip to Camp Nou, Madrid also still have to face Sevilla, Villarreal and Celta Vigo. Twelve points from 12 may well be required if they are to finish in that runners-up berth.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! This is the 238th meeting between Barcelona and Real Madrid in all competitions; Barca winning 93 of those and their arch-rivals 95. Los Blancos have netted 399 goals across those previous El Clasico encounters down the years, meanwhile, so they could well hit the magical 400 mark on enemy territory this evening.
With kickoff now just a couple of minutes away in Catalonia, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps, which largely centered around the lack of a guard of honour for the hosts.
Ernesto Valverde: "We have spoken about [the guard of honour refusal] a lot already, but we are not giving it too much importance. I don't consider it disrespectful. There's a lot of noise about this - so much furore has been made about an issue that really doesn't matter at the end of the day."
Zinedine Zidane: "It is not a failure. It is not a good season, in La Liga. Above all at the start, the end has been much closer to what we must do. But we still cannot talk of failure. It is true that this year, with the league decided, there is less expectation, but that is normal."
KICKOFF! We are up and running in this 238th El Clasico showdown, and the fourth of the 2017-18 campaign. Barcelona aiming to keep their unbeaten season going; Real Madrid need points to close the gap on Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona seeing a lot more of the ball in the opening stages, almost getting in behind through Alba but Nacho was up to the task. All 11 Madrid players are back behind the ball at the moment, trying to keep space to a minimum.
BLOCK! First chance of the evening falls the way of Barca, with the ball being slipped through for Luis Suarez to get a shot away. A fine block from Raphael Varane eight yards out prevented the ball from reaching the target.
The hosts certainly looking the brighter of the two sides, but Madrid have just put together a rare attack that saw Marc-Andre ter Stegen pluck Cristiano Ronaldo's ball out of the air, with Gareth Bale in a good position.
A worrying sign for Barcelona, as Ronaldo was just played through in acres of space. The offside flag went up on this occasion - and that was the right call - but the home side cannot afford to drop that deep when Ronaldo is in the opposition side.
GOAL! BARCELONA 1-0 REAL MADRID (LUIS SUAREZ)
A killer finish from Luis Suarez to open the scoring at Camp Nou! Credit to Sergi Roberto, who got his head up down the right and sent in a perfect delivery for Suarez to volley past Keylor Navas from eight yards - his 24th goal of the season.
Madrid's defenders unable to really deal with Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi early on, being pulled one way and the other. Nacho clatters into Suarez and is the first player to be booked this evening, as Barca push on for a second goal.
GOAL! BARCELONA 1-1 REAL MADRID (CRISTIANO RONALDO)
This fixture never disappoints, does it?! Barca have been on top throughout and had a penalty appeal turned down a couple of minutes ago, but all of a sudden it is tied at 1-1 here. Toni Kroos's cross was headed back across goal by Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo was not going to miss from two yards.
Ronaldo picked up an injury when scoring that goal and is still limping around a little. Just a couple of serious attempts on target at Camp Nou with nearly a quarter of the match played, and already we have a couple of goals.
The two Barca full-backs are having some joy high up the field. Barcelona have looked the more threatening side throughout, yet we are locked at 1-1 thanks to that Cristiano Ronaldo equaliser somewhat against the run of play.
Valverde will be happy with his side's performance in the opening quarter of the match. They look composed on the ball and are probing away around the opposition box, with Jordi Alba smashing a volley over the crossbar from a difficult chance.
CLOSE! Better from Madrid over the past couple of minutes, getting bodies high up the field. Marcelo's cross was initially cleared away, but once it came back in from the opposite side Cristiano Ronaldo got his head to it first and headed over.
SAVE! Momentum is shifting here - Madrid now starting to see more of the ball, with Toni Kroos sending a shot over the bar. Cristiano Ronaldo then played through but Ter Stegen raced out and stopped the Portuguese from the one-on-one.
CHANCE! It is rare for Ronaldo to miss one chance in a game, never mind two in quick succession. The Portuguese gets in behind once again - I did warn that would happen a little earlier - but shoots right across the goal.
YELLOW CARD! Raphael Varane joins Nacho in the referee's book after fouling Luis Suarez. An evenly-balanced match over the past seven or eight minutes in the Catalan capital, and the scoreline reflects that.
Jordi Alba can consider himself fortunate to still be on the field - he just grabbed Luka Modric by the neck. Can only assume that the referee did not have a clear view of that because the Barca defender escaped without even getting a yellow.
If Barca were the better side for the first 20 minutes or so, Madrid have had the better of things since then. A cross into the box is slightly overhit and Cristiano Ronaldo is unable to get to it. Zidane will be delighted by his side's response.
Madrid are still the side probing away and looking the more likely to score in what is a complete contrast to the opening quarter of the match. Marcelo's latest whipped cross from the left is again overhit and Cristiano Ronaldo can only watch it sail over his head.
CLOSE! Madrid certainly not afraid to get crosses into the box, this time finding Cristiano Ronaldo. The forward had a lot to do, though, surrounded by opposition players and a fair way out, and his looped header ended on the roof of the net.
Seen plenty from Bale in a defensive sense this evening but not a lot in attack - clearly a tactic from Zidane. Has to be said, the Frenchman's ploy is working well at the moment because Madrid look the more likely to score the next goal.
A good chance for Lionel Messi goes begging due to the work of Keylor Navas, who got a hand to the ball before the Barca forward could cleanly round him. It has been an entertaining first half at Camp Nou, and there are still a few minutes to go.
YELLOW CARDS! More handbags here as Sergio Ramos and Luis Suarez have just come face-to-face. The referee decides to caution both players, as well as Lionel Messi, meaning that five players are now on yellows.
RED CARD! Well this match has been out of control for some time now. Bale somehow gets away with raking his boot down Umtiti's legs on the touchline. A minute later Sergi Roberto appeared to slap Marcelo following a shoulder-barge and is shown a red.
HALF TIME: BARCELONA 1-1 REAL MADRID
Five yellow cards, a red card and a goal apiece - there may not be a great deal riding on this final El Clasico of the season other than pride, but it has certainly been a lively affair. Luis Suarez opened the scoring 10 minutes in, before Cristiano Ronaldo levelled things up.
Before the first half spiralled out of control, with three yellows and a red being dished out in quick succession, both sides created a few chances in an evenly-contested affair. Barca started the better, slipping through Luis Suarez who was denied by an impressive Raphael Varane block, before the Uruguayan striker volleyed home from the next attack after Sergi Roberto picked him out perfectly from eight yards.
Madrid had been second best up until that point and had struggled to get the ball forward, but that all changed once levelling up through a Cristiano Ronaldo goal on the counter. A move that started deep inside their own half culminated in Karim Benzema heading Toni Kroos's cross back across the target for Ronaldo to convert from under the crossbar.
Ronaldo was then wayward with a couple of headed attempts as control of the game swung the visitors' way, as they attempted to make it four games without defeat on enemy territory. Barca were starting to be pulled apart as the half went on, with Ronaldo being played behind on a couple of occasions, only to be denied by Marc-Andre ter Stegen and then sending the second of the chances wide of goal.
The match had threatened the boil over as half time approached following a series of nasty challenges and, after Jordi Alba and Gareth Bale escaped any action for possible red-card offences, Roberto proved less fortunate as his slap on Marcelo was spotted by the officials. Barca down to 10 men, then, and we can surely expect a rejig from Valverde at the interval.
BARCELONA SUBS: Cillessen, Paulinho, Dembele, Alcacer, Semedo, D.Suarez, Vermaelen
REAL MADRID SUBS: Casilla, Vallejo, Theo, Lucas, Asensio, Kovacic, Ceballos
RESTART! We are back up and running at Camp Nou, where both managers have made a change in personnel. Nelson Semedo was always likely to be introduced, taking over from Philippe Coutinho, while there is a big blow for Madrid as Ronaldo has been replaced by Asensio.
Madrid without their star man for this second half, but they do have a man advantage. Marcelo steals the ball off a crowded out Andres Iniesta and charges towards the opposition box, only to send his shot high and wide from 18 yards.
Rakitic appeared to be fouled on the edge of the Madrid box but the referee was having none of it. Madrid not truly been able to make their man advantage count for much in the opening five minutes of the second half.
GOAL! BARCELONA 2-1 REAL MADRID (LIONEL MESSI)
Barcelona, despite the man disadvantage, regain their lead at Camp Nou! Marco Asensio shot straight at Marc-Andre ter Stegen at one end; Lionel Messi fared a lot better at the other as he shifted the ball past two men and tucked it past Keylor Navas.
Madrid's players were furious that Barca's second goal was allowed to stand. Replays show why they were so angry - Luis Suarez kicked the leg of Raphael Varane before feeding the ball to Lionel Messi, who did the rest inside the box.
BARCELONA SUB! Madrid feel hard done by but they still have more than a third of the match left to go. Barcelona make their second change, as Andres Iniesta leaves the Camp Nou field for one of the last times to be replaced by Paulinho.
A teasing cross from Semedo is inches out of Paulinho's reach. The substitute midfielder accidentally collided with Keylor Navas when sliding in and there is now a stoppage in play for the Madrid keeper to receive some treatment.
Ramos with a couple of challenges, which Barca fans certainly feel was worthy of a caution. The Spanish centre-back is one of three Madrid defenders to have been booked in the first half so he is certainly walking a tightrope right now.
Nacho and Casemiro sandwich Messi and the referee awards a free kick. It must be said, Barca have been the more threatening side in the second half, despite losing Sergio Roberto to a red card late in the opening 45 minutes.
Messi stands over the free kick from 25 yards but can only strike the top of the wall. A good run from Gareth Bale came from little moments later, as Samuel Umtiti barged him off the ball - legally, in the view of the Spanish referee.
REAL MADRID SUB! Tiredness perhaps starting to creep in now because Barcelona, the better side in this second half, have started to drop deep and invite pressure on themselves. Lucas Vazquez is on for Nacho at right-back.
The ball is crying out for Asensio to volley on target, but he miscues his attempt and the chance goes begging. Madrid started to take back some control of the match, and they still have 20 minutes to bag themselves at least a point.
SAVE! Keylor Navas comes out on top in his battle with Lionel Messi to keep his side in the match. Messi had space to run into and just the keeper to beat, but the shot was at a nice height for Navas to push it aside.
GOAL! BARCELONA 2-2 REAL MADRID (GARETH BALE)
Superb finish from Gareth Bale - just his second goal in 11 El Clasico showdowns. The Welshman curled the ball out of Marc-Andre ter Stegen's reach by putting enough spin on his shot from the edge of the area - no chance of keeping that out.
What a brilliant game of football this has been between two sides after all three points. Barca have dropped deep over the past 10 minutes and there was a sense that a Madrid goal was coming, and you would fancy the visitors to now push on and score a third.
PENALTY APPEAL! Jordi Alba takes the legs of Marcelo - a stonewall penalty but one that once again does not go in Madrid's favour. Moments later, Gareth Bale was rightly cautioned for wiping out Barca full-back Nelson Semedo.
A grandstand finish of sorts here because Madrid are showing no signs of taking their foot off the gas. At the same time, Barcelona always have a late goal in them, particularly with that man Lionel Messi - 26 El Clasico goals for him - still on the pitch.
CLOSE! Lionel Messi wants to write his name all over another El Clasico. First, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner curled a shot inches wide of the target, before forcing Keylor Navas into his save at his front post.
REAL MADRID SUB! Mateo Kovacic, who turns 24 today, comes on for Toni Kroos. Difficult to ascertain whether Zidane will consider this a point gained or two points lost - either way we are heading towards a draw here.
There is definitely a sense that we are not finished here. Not a great deal riding on the match on the face of it, but you would not know that because both sets of players are desperate to find a winning goal as we enter the final four minutes.
Barca were down to nine men for a few moments as Luis Suarez required treatment and needed to wait for permission to re-enter the pitch. Madrid throwing plenty of bodies forward now, leaving themselves open to the counter-attack.
BARCELONA SUB! Barca will be the happier with the point because Madrid are starting to bombard their box. No sign of Ousmane Dembele - Paco Alcacer instead the man preferred to see out this match, taking over from Luis Suarez.
Still, with two of four added-on minutes now played, neither side willing to give this one up. We really are into the final throes now so any goal would win it - a chance for one of these players to make themselves a hero.
FULL TIME: BARCELONA 2-2 REAL MADRID
The referee brings a close to what was an entertaining and evenly-contested clash at Camp Nou. Barca twice took the lead and were twice pegged back by their El Clasico rivals, but a point has to be considered a good return after being reduced to 10 men late in the first half.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from the Catalan capital. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, and a recap of the day's other La Liga results are available here. Thanks for joining!
