The first El Clasico match of the 2015-16 La Liga season takes place this weekend as Real Madrid host reigning champions Barcelona at the Bernabeu on Saturday evening.

Spain's Secretary of State for Sport has insisted that the match will go ahead, despite the attacks in Paris last weekend, but extra security will be in place for the highest profile fixture in the La Liga calendar.

Real Madrid

Rafael Benitez's side slipped to their first defeat of the season before the international break, losing 3-2 to Sevilla, despite a late goal from James Rodriguez giving the side hope of a comeback.

As a result, Real have slipped from top spot in the La Liga table for the first time in a month, sitting three points behind this weekend's opponents.

The defeat to Sevilla was the team's first since a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the pre-season Audi Cup in August, and ended a run of three straight wins in the Spanish top flight.

Despite letting in three goals last time out, Real still have one of the best defences in the league, conceding just seven times in 11 fixtures so far this season, while keeping six clean sheets. Only Atletico Madrid have a stronger record at the back so far this season.

The team still have more goals than any of their La Liga rivals too, with 26 goals so far, including eight from top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, three in his last four matches.

With the start of the January transfer window just over six weeks away, a number of players have been linked with Real over the international break, while Gareth Bale continues to be linked with a move away from the club.

Recent form: DDWWWL
Recent form (all competitions): WDWWWL

Barcelona

Barcelona head into this match as league leaders for the first time since September, having climbed back to the top of the standings as a result of their 3-0 win over Villarreal last time out.

Luis Enrique's side have won their last four matches in La Liga, making amends for defeats to Sevilla and Celta Vigo early in the campaign, leaving them three points clear at the top of the table, although defeat to Real this weekend will cost them top spot.

Barcelona were struggling to keep clean sheets in the early part of the season, but have kept their opponents out in their last two matches, doubling their clean sheets so far this season.

Despite missing Lionel Messi through injury for much of this season, the Catalan side have also started to score more frequently over the last month, leaving them with 25 goals so far this season, just one fewer than this weekend's opponents.

Luis Suarez and Neymar have stepped up during the Argentine's absence, scoring all 17 of the club's goals in the league in their last seven fixtures.

The match is the first of two big fixtures for Barcelona in the space of three days, as a home match against Roma in the Champions League follows on Tuesday, with the defending European champions yet to secure their place in the knockout stage of the competition.

Recent form: WLWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWDWWW

Team News

The visitors are optimistic that Messi will be ready to make his return from a knee ligament injury, having resumed training with the reserves over the international break.

Ivan Rakitic is also a doubt as he continues to try to shake off a calf injury, but Sergio Busquets is expected to be ready, despite picking up a knock in Spain's win over England last weekend.

The home side also have a series of injury concerns coming into this match, but goalkeeper Keylor Navas is expected to be back after missing the last couple of fixtures with a groin problem.

Karim Benzema could return from a hamstring injury, although his involvement may be limited as he has not played since the start of October, while Gareth Bale should also be available, despite not linking up with the Wales squad.

Sergio Ramos is expected to play, despite struggling with a shoulder injury, while Isco could be preferred to James Rodriguez, who missed time before the international break.

Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Navas, Pepe, Ramos, Varane, Danilo, Kross, Modric, Casemiro, Isco, Ronaldo, Bale

Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Bravo, Pique, Alves, Alba, Mathieu, Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitic, Suarez, Neymar, Messi

Head To Head

When the sides met at the Bernabeu last season, it was the home side who clinched the win, with Real picking up a 3-1 victory thanks to goals from Ronaldo, Pepe and Benzema.

Barcelona won the reverse fixture in March though as a second-half goal from Suarez wrapped up the points, giving this weekend's visitors their first win in three meetings with Real.

In 58 matches between the two sides, Barcelona have 25 wins, while Real have picked up 17 victories.

We say: Real Madrid 2-2 Barcelona

Both sides have players missing and returning from injury, which could leave both short of their best performance, making it difficult to separate the two sides. Real have had the stronger defence this season, but the likely return of Messi should give Barcelona some additional fire power alongside the in-form Neymar and Suarez. It is difficult to see anything other than a close match.