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Why UK fans will be unable to watch Bellingham's El Clasico debut this weekend?

  /  autty

When Barcelona take on Real Madrid this weekend, it will be one of the most watched games across the world.

The iconic fixture always seems to produce scintillating football with an added bonus of drama due to the fierce rivalry between the two Spanish giants.

And for UK football fans, it's an even more special occasion since Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham has taken La Liga by storm.

Following in the footsteps of fellow British greats such as David Beckham and Steve McManaman, fans would have been hoping to catch a glimpse of the former Birmingham City player in Madrid white.

But, due to a long-standing British law regarding broadcasting rights, Spain's most famous fixture won't be aired in the UK.

Put in place since the 1960s, the UK's 3pm TV blackout rule states that no football can be broadcast live between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on a Saturday.

And since El Clasico will kick off at 3.30pm in UK time on that day, it cannot be aired.

Despite many feeling that this law should not be applied to foreign games, it was established to encourage people to attend stadiums.

Xavi's side were also given an earlier kick off against Madrid as they travel to Shaktar Donetsk the next Tuesday for a 5.45pm Champions League game.

Bellingham has played against Barcelona before in a pre-season friendly in Texas where they were beaten 3-0 by their arch rivals, but this will be his first time playing Barcelona in La Liga.

Although the match won't be aired on British TV, you can follow Mail Sport's social channels and live blog on the day to keep up with all the action.