Madrid and Barça face off at the Santiago Bernabéu in LaLiga on Sunday after contrasting fortunes in the Champions League.
Real Madrid against Barcelona is without doubt one of the stand-out games in world soccer, with the rivalry between the LaLIga giants as fierce as ever after 256 previous Clásico meetings. Familiarity, as they say, breeds contempt.
Real Madrid on the verge of LaLiga title
On Sunday at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, Carlo Ancelotti’s team will have the opportunity to all but secure a second successive league title. A victory in the Spanish capital will see Madrid move 11 points clear of second-placed Barça with six matches to play, a gap which would surely be too big for Xavi Hernández’s side to make up.
If the Catalans are to have any hope of catching their bitter rivals, they simply have to win. However, they go into the weekend match on the back of Champions League quarter-final disappointment, namely a 4-1 home thrashing at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, a result heavily influenced by Ronald Araújo’s red card in the first half. The Uruguayan will be able to play at the Bernabéu despite his misdemeanours.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, are on a high after eliminating Premier League leaders Manchester City at the same stage of the competition, prevailing in a penalty shootout after a backs-to-the-wall defensive performance.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona head-to-head record
In the 256 competitive Clásicos that have been played since the first in February 1929, there has been little to separate the teams. Overall, Madrid lead the way with 104 victories to Barça’s 100 (with 52 draws), Los Blancos pulling clear recently thanks to three wins in a row.
At the Bernabéu, the setting for Sunday’s game, Real Madrid have won 67 of 123 Clásicos, with Barcelona winning in the capital on 31 occasions, in addition to 25 draws. For balance, Barça have recorded 64 home wins in the fixture, with Los Merengues also winning 31 times in Catalonia, where there have been 27 draws.
Finally, the 14-time European champions also just about have the upper hand in LaLiga, with 78 victories (55 at home) to Barça’s 74 (23 at the Bernabéu). 15 of the 35 league draws have taken place in Madrid.
Xavi vs Ancelotti head-to-head record
After losing 3-2 to Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final a couple of months after taking charge in November 2021, Xavi led Barcelona to victory in three of the next four Clásicos, including a 4-0 win at the Bernabéu and in the following year’s Spanish Super Cup final.
However, Carlo Ancelotti has had the upper hand in the fixture in recent meetings.
Madrid have won each of the last three games, including a 4-0 Copa del Rey victory at Camp Nou last season, as well as an empathic 4-1 win in the most recent Spanish Super Cup final. There hasn’t been a draw in the fixture since December 2019.