Kylian Mbappe will make his El Clasico debut this weekend as Real Madrid take on rivals Barcelona in a huge La Liga clash.
Mbappe has scored six goals in his first ten league games in Spain, but despite his side going unbeaten in that time, they sit second in the table.
Mbappe is set for his first taste of El ClasicoGetty
Los Blancos are three points behind Barca who have been in superb form under new boss Hansi Flick, winning nine of their opening ten fixtures.
They have also scored 33 goals with an average of three per game and Robert Lewandowski is showing no signs of tailing off at the end of his career.
It leaves Mbappe and Jude Bellingham in need of a win in the first El Clasico of the campaign as they aim to close the gap to Flick’s men.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona: How to follow
This El Clasico clash will be played on Saturday, October 26 and kick-off at the Bernabeu is scheduled for 8pm UK time.
The game will be broadcast live on Premier Sports in the UK.
You can sign up to watch the action for £7.99 per month – more details on how to do so can be found here.
talkSPORT and talkSPORT.com will also keep you up to date with the latest.
To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.
You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
Lewandowski has scored 12 goals in 10 games this seasonGetty
Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Team news
Mbappe will certainly start in his derby debut and he is likely to be leading the line with Vinicius Junior and Bellingham behind him.
Rodrygo seems to have lost his place in the front line, but he could come in with Bellingham moving central with Federico Valverde.
Eder Militao has returned from injury and may partner Antonio Rudiger, however, Aurelien Tchouameni has impressed at centre-back.
In terms of injuries, Dani Carvajal is out for the season while David Alaba and Brahim Diaz are the other two casualties.
As for Barcelona, Gavi finally made his return last time out and he could feature in El Clasico this weekend.
Dani Olmo is also back but the Spaniard and Frenkie De Jong but the pair aren’t likely to get into the team over Pedri and Marc Casado.
Lamine Yamal will of course be a major threat to Real while Raphinha and Lewandowski have been Barca’s stars so far this season.
Ferran Torres, Ronald Araujo, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Marc Bernal are all out.
The presence of Mbappe has meant Rodryo has lost his placeGetty
Real Madrid vs Barcelona: What has been said?
Bellingham has come under criticism in the Spanish media in recent weeks after failing to score so far this season.
Earlier this month, AS published a story that ripped into the England international.
The report read: “In the case of Bellingham, the decline is much more palpable.
“He has only two assists, no goals, in seven games played.
“Last season, after seven games, he had scored six goals. These figures should not be compared in isolation, as his role since Mbappe’s arrival, is very different.
“But the Englishman is still looking for his best version as a midfielder, the one he offered, for example, in the second half of the European Super Cup against Atalanta.
“Ancelotti knows this, but he is going to give him all the time in the world: ‘His position is the same as last year, with all the success achieved last year.
“Now things don’t come out with the same clarity, but we just have to wait.’”
Bellingham has not made a good start to the new season
Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Past results
Real have dominated El Clasico in the last few years.
Los Blancos have won seven of the last ten meetings with their bitter rivals in La Liga, losing two and drawing one.
Last season in the league, Carlo Ancelotti’s side won both clashes before going on to win the title for 36th time.
It means Barcelona will be out to try and regain control of the rivalry and catch up with Real in their all-time record against each other.
In La Liga, El Clasico has been played 188 times with Real winning 79 and Barca 74.
Below are the results from their last 10 meetings in the league:
December 2019 – Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
March 2020 – Real Madrid 2-0 Barcelona
October 2020 – Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid
April 2021 – Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona
October 2021 – Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid
March 2022 – Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona
October 2022 – Real Madrid 3-1 Barcelona
March 2023 – Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid
October 2023 – Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid
April 2024 – Real Madrid 3-2 Barcelona
