The gambling of football referees is soon switching to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, where tomorrow one of the most significant matches in Europe will take place - Real Madrid will face guests from Barcelona in the "Classico" match of the 11th round of the Spanish La Liga.
Barcelona occupies the top spot in the tournament table with 27 points, ahead of Real, which is in second place by three points, confirming the high competition between the teams for leadership. The clubs have a rich history of intense super encounters, having played 257 official matches. Real leads with 105 wins, while Barcelona has won 100 matches, with 52 matches ending in a draw.
Real, as hosts, meets the match in good spirits after securing a victory against Borussia Dortmund with a score of 5:2, following their defeat of 0:2 in the Champions League a couple of days ago. However, this victory has left the team without its key player, Thibaut Courtois, who has joined the list of absentees for the "Classico" along with Dani Carvajal and David Alba. There are also questions about the participation of Rodrygo, who suffered an injury related to his ankle, and Ibrahima Diaza with a problem in the knee.
In turn, Barcelona aims to continue its successful start to the season under coach Xavi Flik, who has led the team to 11 victories and only two defeats in the Spanish La Liga and Champions League. The coach recognizes the difficulty of the task awaiting him in the match against Real, but relies on the high morale of his players after victories over Bayern 4:1 and Sevilla 5:1 in recent matches. Flik hopes for the brilliance of his forward Robert Lewandowski, who scored three goals in the last two matches, as well as on the return of veteran players Javi and the great Lamine Yamal.
Flik cannot count on goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, who has finished the season due to injury, as well as on Andrés Cristiansen and Ronald Araújo.
