Real Madrid, Barcelona star in season’s first El Clasico

For Barcelona and Real Madrid, nothing that’s happened in their seasons until the Clasico matters.

The first El Clasico of the season is one of those rare fixtures in the world of football that can wipe the slate clean.

For Barcelona and Real Madrid, nothing that has happened in their seasons until then matters. But everything that follows is shaped by it.

For these two monoliths of Spanish football, the first Clasico of the season is the point from where their domestic campaigns truly begin.

While Real Madrid’s injury-time equalizer against a spirited Shakhtar Donetsk side in the Champions League on Wednesday sealed their qualification to the knockouts for a record 31st time, Barcelona’s 3-3 draw against Inter Milan left them on the brink of a group-stage exit for the second successive season.

There is a sharp contrast in their fortunes in the Champions League but they have been near-inseparable in La Liga so far.

Both teams have seven wins from their first eight games. Both are unbeaten in the league.

Barcelona comes into the Clasico sitting top of the league, ahead of Real only on goal difference.

Agencies