This Sunday's El Clásico sees league leaders Real Madrid, now managed by Xabi Alonso, host defending treble winners Barcelona, led by Hansi Flick, at the Santiago Bernabeu. Madrid holds a two-point lead over their rivals going into the crucial match.
Last season, Barcelona dominated the rivalry, winning all four El Clásico encounters, including the La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup finals, which contributed to Carlo Ancelotti's departure from Madrid. Real Madrid is under pressure to perform in big matches following a loss to PSG and a 5-2 thrashing by Atletico Madrid. El Clásico victory would extend their lead to five points and alleviate these concerns.
The spotlight is on Madrid's star striker, Kylian Mbappe, who has been in sensational form. He has scored 10 of Madrid's 20 La Liga goals (54% of their total goals across all competitions) and netted in 11 consecutive games before a recent Champions League match. While Alonso the coach of Madrid camp, denies dependency on him, the statistics suggest otherwise.
Mbappe previously struggled in his first El Clásico a year ago, where Madrid suffered a 4-0 loss and the French star was caught offside eight times. However, he has since found his rhythm, scoring in subsequent El Clásico defeats. This season, he has formed a strong connection with Turkish playmaker Arda Guler, who expertly finds his runs forward.
With Barcelona's defence struggling, Madrid is confident Mbappe can be devastating on Sunday.
