After being swept aside by Barcelona in all four El Clasico meetings last season, Real Madrid are determined to turn the tables when the two sides meet again on Sunday in La Liga.
Under Hansi Flick, Barcelona dominated the previous campaign, completing a domestic treble and defeating Madrid twice in the league, as well as in the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup finals results that eventually brought an end to Carlo Ancelotti’s tenure.
Now, with Xabi Alonso at the helm, Los Blancos appear revitalized. Madrid sit two points ahead of Barcelona at the top of the table going into the Santiago Bernabéu showdown. Still, questions linger over their form in big matches after a summer loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the Club World Cup semi-finals and a bruising 5–2 defeat to Atletico Madrid in September’s derby.
A win this weekend would open up a five-point cushion over their Catalan rivals and help restore belief among the Madrid faithful, while Flick’s side continue to search for the consistency that defined their dominance last season.
Much of Madrid’s current momentum has been fueled by Kylian Mbappé. The French forward has been in sensational form, finding the net in 11 consecutive games for club and country prior to Wednesday’s Champions League victory over Juventus, where Jude Bellingham scored the lone goal.
The 26-year-old has struck 10 of Madrid’s 20 La Liga goals so far, leading the Spanish scoring charts. Across all competitions, he has scored 15 times accounting for 54 percent of the team’s goals underlining his status as the driving force behind Madrid’s title push.
