Real Madrid will host Barcelona in La Liga's first Clasico of the season on Saturday.
The two old rivals look set to battle it out again for the Spanish crown this season, with Barca making the stronger start under new boss Ernesto Valverde.
These matches can be vital in deciding the destination of the title, though, and Madrid will look to strike back on home turf.
| Game | Real Madrid vs Barcelona |
| Date | Saturday, December 23 |
| Time | 12:00 GMT / 07:00 ET |
TV CHANNEL & LIVE STREAM
The live sports streaming service can be accessed via iOS, Android, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku and Apple TV as well as on a web browser.
In the UK, the match will be available to watch live on television on Sky Sports Football and by stream via Sky Go.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Football | Sky Go |
SQUADS & TEAM NEWS
| Position | Real Madrid players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Navas, Casilla, Moha |
| Defenders | Carvajal, Vallejo, Ramos, Varane, Nacho, Marcelo, Theo, Achraf |
| Midfielders | Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Llorente, Asensio, Isco, Kovacic, Ceballos |
| Forwards | Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Vazquez, Mayoral |
Cristiano Ronaldo has trained alone this week after feeling his calf in the Club World Cup final, but has insisted he will play.
Gareth Bale has made a couple of cameos off the bench and should feature among the substitutes again. Third-choice goalkeeper Luca Zidane, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, is Madrid's only definite absentee.
Potential starting XI: Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Isco; Benzema, Ronaldo.
| Position | Barcelona players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ter Stegen, Cillessen |
| Defenders | Semedo, Pique, Mascherano, Alba, Digne, Vidal, Vermaelen |
| Midfielders | Rakitic, Busquets, D. Suarez, Arda, Iniesta, Rafinha, Paulinho, Roberto, Gomes |
| Forwards | L. Suarez, Messi, Dembele, Deulofeu |
Barca are without Samuel Umtiti (hamstring), who will not play again this year, while Ousmane Dembele is back in training but is unlikely to be rushed into this game.
Paco Alcacer is also out and Gerard Deulofeu is a doubt, further limiting Valverde's options beyond Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in attack. Rafinha looks set to be available in some capacity, however, after an eight-month lay-off due to two knee surgeries.
Potential starting XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Vermaelen, Alba; Rakitic, Paulinho, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Suarez.
BETTING & MATCH ODDS
Real Madrid are 6/5 favourites to win at home, according to dabblebet, with Barcelona priced at 21/10 and the draw available at 11/4.
EL CLASICO TICKETS
There is an extremely limited number of tickets available via Real Madrid's official website, with prices starting - at the time of writing - at €105.
Tickets can be bought through re-sale websites, but expect prices to be significantly marked up from face value and start at a minimum of €250.
GAME PREVIEW
For Real Madrid and Barcelona, there is no better measuring stick than this match.
The Champions League remains the ultimate goal, of course, but such has been the dominance of these two teams in Europe over the past decade that beating the other one is often a good indicator of forthcoming continental success.
When Barca conquered the world under Pep Guardiola, they went on one stretch of six wins and a draw against Madrid in La Liga until Jose Mourinho finally cracked the code.
Los Blancos have not been as dominant through their own golden spell but a 5-1 aggregate win in the latest Supercopa de Espana was representative of their far superior 2016-17 campaign.
Barca have been able to bounce back under Ernesto Valverde, however, and come into this match as league leaders.
That will only heighten its intrigue as the Blaugrana face the sternest examination yet of their renewed belief that they will be in the running for top honours this season.
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