There is nothing quite like El Clásico. Whenever Real Madrid and Barcelona play each other, there is no bigger match happening anywhere else in the soccer world.

Sunday’s clash at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu (stream LIVE at on ESPN+ in the U.S.) will be no different. Defending LaLiga champions Barcelona arrive in the Spanish capital sitting two points behind their bitter rivals at the top of the table.

Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, a legendary midfielder who won the LaLiga title and the UEFA Champions League during his five years as a player for Los Blancos, will be experiencing his first clash against Barcelona from the dugout. He will be doing so with star striker Kylian Mbappé in top form.

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Barça boss Hansi Flick claimed a clean sweep over Madrid last season, winning all four of the matchups in his first season in charge. Young phenom Lamine Yamal was among the stars over the course of those wins, and he could once again be a match-winner in Madrid.

ESPN’s Alex Kirkland and Sam Marsden run through the form, all-time head-to-head, latest team news and key clashes ahead of the 262nd edition of El Clásico.

All-time head-to-head: Barça can draw level with a win

Real Madrid have historically maintained an advantage for most of the time in their head-to-head matchup with Barcelona, dating to the 1930s. Since then, both clubs have had periods of sustained dominance in meetings with their rivals — Madrid in the 1960s, and Barça in the 1970s and ’80s. But the balance started to shift in the past 20 years, as Madrid’s head-to-head lead narrowed, starting with the Pep Guardiola era at Barça. Madrid posted only one win in 14 meetings in all competitions between 2008 and 2012, a spell that included legendary 6-2 and 5-0 wins in the fixture for Guardiola’s team, as well as a triumph in a UEFA Champions League semifinal.

Since then, it has been more even — Barça were unbeaten in seven Clásicos from 2017 to 2019, before Madrid went six undefeated between 2019 and 2022 — but Barça’s four victories last season leave them on the brink of matching Madrid in the all-time head-to-head. — Kirkland

What happened last season?

Barcelona, slightly unexpectedly, ruled Madrid last season. There was uncertainty surrounding the Blaugrana at the start of the campaign, with no one really sure how new coach Flick would do with a young squad. Madrid, meanwhile, on the back of winning LaLiga and the Champions League, had added Kylian Mbappé to their squad.

But as often is the case in this fixture, logic did not prevail. Barça were superb in attack, racking up 16 goals in four victories against Madrid as they won both league meetings en route to the title, as well as final wins in the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercopa. At times, it felt as if they could score at will, especially in the final Clásico of the season, which effectively clinched the league title. After Mbappé had given Madrid a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes, Barça replied with four unanswered goals before the break.

That was very much a theme of Barça’s wins: lots of goals in short spurts. They also scored four in the second half at the Bernabéu last October, and four in the first half in the 5-2 Supercopa win in January. It ended 16-7 to Barça on aggregate over the course of the four fascinating and hugely entertaining games. Barça are now aiming to win five straight editions of the Clásico for only the second time in club history — 2008-10, under Guardiola, was the only other time. — Marsden

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How are they doing this season?

REAL MADRID

The feeling is that Madrid are an improvement on last season’s vintage, but they’re still a work in progress. There has been a notable change in the way the team plays out of possession — with more intensity, pressing high to win the ball back, and a more cohesive defensive shape — while the other big plus has been the sensational form of Mbappé, who has scored in 10 of his 11 club games this season. Vinícius Júnior is getting closer to his best form, and while the midfield still hasn’t quite jelled, Arda Güler is now a valuable creative influence, already providing five assists for Mbappé this campaign.

Madrid’s record in LaLiga is impressive, with eight wins out of nine, but the game they didn’t win was a 5-2 thumping to Atlético Madrid. And there’s still the nagging feeling that in the “big” games — that Madrid derby, and the FIFA Club World Cup semifinal against Paris Saint-Germain in the summer — Alonso’s team has suffered stage fright. — Kirkland

BARCELONA

Flick has acknowledged Barcelona aren’t yet hitting the heights of last season. He has bemoaned poor positioning and a drop in the intensity of the pressing as two of the biggest factors in the team’s drop-off. Injuries have also played a part, with Raphinha, Yamal, Fermín López, Gavi, Joan García, Dani Olmo and Robert Lewandowski among those to sit out stretches of the season. That said, results have not been that bad. They have won two out of three in the Champions League, losing only to Paris Saint-Germain via a late goal, and are only two points behind leaders Madrid in LaLiga.

Performances have not always been as encouraging. Rayo Vallecano could have beat them earlier in the season, Sevilla scored four against them and Girona should arguably have taken at least a point last weekend. But snatching a late win against Girona and then beating Olympiacos 6-1 in midweek will give the players a confidence boost heading to Madrid. López is back and looking sharp, Yamal has featured in the past two games after recovering from a groin problem, and Marcus Rashford has settled in well. — Marsden

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Both teams have several injury doubts. What is the latest?

REAL MADRID

There’s optimism that Madrid’s issues at right back — where Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal have both been out injured, and Federico Valverde has reluctantly been drafted in — are soon to be solved, with both Alexander-Arnold and Carvajal pushing for a return in time for the Clásico. On the other side of the defense, Ferland Mendy is also getting close to full fitness, although the Clásico might come too soon for him, and Álvaro Carreras is the starter at left back anyway.

At center back, Dean Huijsen should be available to partner with Éder Militão, as Antonio Rüdiger is expected to be out until December, and David Alaba was substituted at halftime against Getafe last weekend as a precaution. In midfield, Dani Ceballos has a muscular problem, and is unlikely to be fit to face Barça. — Kirkland

BARCELONA

Joan García, Marc-André ter Stegen, Gavi, Olmo and Lewandowski will all sit out the game, and a source told ESPN that Raphinha will also miss out after suffering a setback in his return from a hamstring injury. But there is some positive news for Barça — Yamal and López both returned to action last weekend, with the latter then scoring a stunning hat trick with his weaker left foot against Olympiacos. Ferran Torres returned to the bench against the Greek side. Though he didn’t play, he should be ready this weekend. — Marsden

Key clashes

Kylian Mbappé vs. Barcelona’s high line: Who can forget the last time these two teams met at the Bernabéu, almost exactly a year ago? Barcelona ended up winning the match 4-0, but all four of those goals came in the second half. Before the break, it could have been a very different story, as Madrid went toe-to-toe with Barça, but Mbappé was caught offside six times (his game total of eight was a career high) and was unable to make the breakthrough.

Since then, much has changed: Mbappé looks a different player, supremely confident and comfortable in a Real Madrid shirt, and he has Güler behind him providing the support. Barça, meanwhile, look nothing like the well-oiled machine of Flick’s first season, and there’s no Iñigo Martínez marshalling the defense. There could be rich pickings if Madrid and Mbappé get it right this time. — Kirkland

Lamine Yamal vs. Álvaro Carreras: Even though Barça won both games in Lisbon against Benfica last season (5-4 and 1-0), Yamal did not have all things go his way in the matchup with Carreras. The Spanish left back was one of the players who did the best job of containing Yamal, who finally scored against Benfica in the third meeting between the teams, when Carreras was suspended.

Yamal is the sort of player who’s also motivated by individual battles. The idea that he needs to prove himself against an opponent fuels him, and he will be ready to run at Carreras. He is averaging 14.8 take-ons per 90 minutes and 6.4 successful take-ons per 90 this season in LaLiga, both of which are the most in Europe’s top five leagues (minimum 300 minutes). He also, as Flick pointed out this week, nearly always steps up in the big games. His three career goals against Madrid are more than he has scored against any other team.

With Raphinha, Lewandowski and Olmo absent, a large part of Barça’s hopes will again depend on the teenager delivering. — Marsden

Predictions

The gap between the two teams last season was significant, if not always as great as the scorelines in their four meetings suggested. Madrid look quite a bit better than last season, while Barça are worse. Madrid will win 3-1. — Kirkland

Madrid have looked more stable but also have their own problems defensively. Alonso’s biggest games in charge so far — against PSG and Atlético — have ended in defeats and I expect Barça to improve on what we have seen in recent weeks. Ultimately, with only two points between the teams in the league, a draw might not be deemed the worst result for either side if it’s tied late on. It will be a 2-2 draw. — Marsden

Odds (via ESPNBET)

Real Madrid: +105
Barcelona: +210
Draw: +300

Nearly every sports league, team and operation (including, ahem, media outlets) wants in on sports wagering revenue. Sponsorships. Partnerships. Advertising. It’s legal, after all.

Maybe it’s direct payments. Maybe it’s advertising dollars from increased viewership that come through bigger and bigger broadcast deals. Whatever the source, sports is awash in gambling cash.

Nothing comes for free, though, and on Thursday, the bill came due for the NBA.

Every other league can only look on and know that if there was ever a sure-bet, it’s that this won’t be the last time a parade of FBI and Department of Justice figures stage a news conference to detail a slew of indictments over unsavory behavior involving sports betting.

More than 30 people were arrested, including big shots such as Mr. Big Shot — Hall of Fame player and current Portland Trail Blazer coach Chauncey Billups. Meanwhile, officials kept citing the juicy involvement of La Cosa Nostra and New York crime families, including the Gambinos and Genovese.

Like a “Hollywood movie,” Ricky Patel of Homeland Securities Investigations said.

Try the veal, it’s the best in the city.

Gambling scandals are not new in sports — from the Black Sox to Tim Donaghy. However, the proliferation of legalized sports wagering, putting betting in everyone’s face, if not their phone, almost assuredly makes the games more susceptible.

The indictments contained fascinating high-tech details of underground poker games with X-ray card readers to help organized crime rig the action. And there were the alleged actions of Damon Jones, a former player and assistant coach who the feds say tipped off others about injuries the public didn’t yet know about.

One example: a certain unnamed Los Angeles Lakers star would be sitting out a Feb. 9, 2023, game against Milwaukee.

“Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight,” the indictment alleges Jones texted a co-conspirator. “Bet enough so Djones can eat to [sic] now!!!”

One Laker who sat out that night to rest a sore left ankle? LeBron James. A source close to James told ESPN on Thursday that the star had no knowledge of information about his status being leaked. The Bucks won by nine, covering the -7.5 spread. DJones, presumably, ate.

“This is the insider trading scandal of the NBA,” FBI director Kash Patel said.

It is. And it is fair for fans to wonder exactly what they are watching. The indictment mostly hinges on players purposefully taking themselves out of games with injury to assure they hit the under on individual prop bets, but that still corrupts the competition.

The proliferation of legalized sports wagering allows criminal elements to place numerous small bets on the information (and hopefully not trigger suspicion) and cash in.

The fact that players and coaches on multimillion-dollar contracts could be susceptible — Rozier was playing on a four-year, $96.2-million contract — just adds to the concern. Good luck to college sports, where the NCAA is investigating 13 men’s basketball players at six schools in a betting scheme.

Now on Wednesday, the NCAA allowed all of its athletes to legally wager on professional sports.

Hey, what bad could happen?

Sports wagering may be a boon to the bottom line, but it comes with increased suspicion into everything. That includes, quite unfairly, athletes who just simply underperform or do get injured and thus cost some bettors money. Online harassment is off the charts.

As for the presence of Billups, he’s the shiny star that attracts attention. In one indictment a defendant referred to as “Co-Conspirator 8,” allegedly told a bettor that the Trail Blazers would be tanking and several of their best players would not be playing in a March 24, 2023, game against the Chicago Bulls.

Co-Conspirator 8 is not named in the indictment, but the description of the playing and coaching career matches Billups.

In another indictment, Billups is alleged to have played in illegal poker games set up by New York organized crime. He was a famous “face card” used to attract an unwitting patsy who arrived at games with X-ray tables that can read cards face down and cameras on poker chip trays that can do the same.

The info would be sent to a remote location, then relayed back to the “quarterback” in the game who would then signal to the others involved which hand was most likely to win. The “fish” as they were known, never stood a chance. One guy lost $1.8 million, the feds said.

It will be interesting to find out how and why someone of Billups’ stature and financial security ($100 million in player earnings) would be involved in this. Still, the Trail Blazers were apparently going to tank regardless. And the fact an illegal poker game in New York or Miami might be less than reputable doesn’t seem like a huge surprise (caveat emptor), let alone threat to the general public.

So as bad as this is, it could have been a lot worse.

Yet that’s kind of the point. Unless every athlete and coach and official and trainer and so on, heeds the FBI warnings to steer clear of this stuff, then the next scandal is assuredly coming. Not only could it be worse, there’s a decent chance it will be.

Legalized sports wagering sure is good money.

It just doesn’t come cheap.

AFC Bournemouth have set a transfer fee for Chelsea and Liverpool target Antoine Semenyo, while Manchester United are considering a January move for Atlético Madrid‘s Conor Gallagher. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.

Transfers home page | Men’s grades | Women’s grades

TOP STORIES

– Lionel Messi extends Inter Miami contract through 2028
– Rashford reveals previous Barça talks over Man United exit
– Arsenal prodigy Dowman, 15, agrees scholarship deal – sources

TRENDING RUMORS

– An offer worth in excess of £75m will be required to sign Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, reports the Daily Mail. Interest is continuing to grow in the 25-year-old, with Chelsea believed to be keen on a move, while Liverpool as well as clubs in Europe’s top leagues would also be ready to compete to sign him. The Cherries are expected to resist offers for Semenyo in January as they look to turn down all approaches before next summer, following an impressive season which has seen him directly contribute to nine goals in eight Premier League matches.

– Atlético Madrid’s Conor Gallagher is on Manchester United shortlist of midfielders to sign in the January transfer window, according to talkSPORT. The 25-year-old has made more than 60 appearances for the LaLiga club since joining them last year. since signing from Chelsea in 2024 for €40 million. However, while the Old Trafford hierarchy would prefer to secure a loan deal, talkSPORT reports that Atlético want to move him on permanently for a fee similar to the €40m they paid Chelsea for him. Meanwhile, Diario AS that Gallagher is being “more questioned all the time” at Atlético. The newspaper says the England midfielder “isn’t in his best moment” after the team’s performance dropped when Gallagher came off the bench in the 4-0 loss at Arsenal in midweek.

– Bayern Munich have made Crystal Palace‘s Marc Guéhi and Borussia Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck the top options in their search for a center-back, Florian Plettenberg reports. The Bundesliga champions are “fully involved in the race” for Guéhi, 25, with plans to challenge Real Madrid and Liverpool for his signature. They could also look to 25-year-old Schlotterbeck as a second reinforcement if both Dayot Upamecano and Kim Min-Jae leave the Allianz Arena, with Upamecano yet to agree to terms on a new contract. Meanwhile, Bild reports that AC Milan and Internazionale are keen on Bayern defender Kim. Both clubs are looking at a potential January move for the 28-year-old South Korea international, who has made just one start in the Bundesliga so far this season.

– Everton are keen on reuniting with Tottenham Hotspur striker Richarlison, according to TEAMtalk. The Toffees are believed to be prioritising a move to reinforce their forward line in the next transfer window, with hopes of landing an experienced Premier League forward. Richarlison has scored three goals in eight league games so far this season, but it is reported that Spurs would be open to letting the 28-year-old leave in 2026, with belief that both Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani would be ahead of him in the pecking order.

– Clubs in MLS are attentive to the situation of RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner, according to Florian Plettenberg. Werner, 29, has played just one minute so far this season when coming on as a substitute in the 1-0 league win over Wolfsburg in September, and it looks as though the Bundesliga will look to part ways with him in January. Philipp Hinze reports that Werner is open to calling time on his spell in Germany, with Leipzig willing to accept an offer worth less than €1m.

EXPERT TAKE

ESPN’s Alex Kirkland looks at what the future might hold for Conor Gallagher at Atlético Madrid:

Conor Gallagher has never quite found his place at Atlético Madrid. Even if some of his qualities — above all his work-rate and energy — look tailor-made for a Diego Simeone team, the coach hasn’t appeared convinced by the midfielder, signed for €42m in 2024.

Gallagher has started just two of Atlético’s nine LaLiga games so far this season, with seven substitute appearances. Last year, in his debut campaign, he started 19 league games, and was introduced as a sub 13 times.

Simeone doesn’t often pick Gallagher in central midfield, in theory his best position. When he does play, he tends to feature out wide in a midfield four, often on the left. The coach prefers Pablo Barrios and Koke — both more creative, reliable passers, with better technique — in the middle, and now has options like Giuliano Simeone, Thiago Almada, Alex Baena and Nico González on the flanks.

Gallagher’s attitude is excellent, he’s popular with teammates and fans, and he is a useful impact player off the bench. But you wonder how long he’ll be happy with that role. A move back to the Premier League seems inevitable at some point. The only question is when it happens.

OTHER RUMORS

– AC Milan recently made an enquiry regarding Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski. (Diario Sport)

– Manchester United forward Joshua Zirkzee plans to ask the club to let him leave in January. He has previously been linked with West Ham, as well as clubs in the Serie A. (Daily Mirror)

– An agreement has been reached between Arsenal and midfielder Max Dowman over scholarship terms. (The Athletic)

– Paris Saint-Germain center-back Willian Pacho has agreed terms regarding a new contract at the Parc des Princes until the summer of 2030. (Nicolò Schira)

– Newcastle United striker Nick Woltemade remains open to a switch to Bayern Munich. (Bild)

– Two clubs in the Serie A have been offered the opportunity to sign Real Madrid Endrick on loan. (Nicolò Schira)

– Borussia Dortmund are “optimistic” that forward Karim Adeyemi will sign a new contract, with talks currently ongoing. (Florian Plettenberg)

– LAFC, Vancouver Whitecaps, and Montreal are set to challenge Chelsea in the race for Randers FC forward Mohamed Toure. (TEAMtalk)

– Clubs in Europe could look to tempt Sao Paulo forward Lucca away in January. A release clause in his contract allows clubs from outside of Brazil to sign him for €80m. (Ekrem Konur)

– Al-Hilal defender Kalidou Koulibaly is set to extend his stay with the club until the summer of 2027. (NIcolo Schira)