Who: Barcelona vs Real Madrid
What: La Liga
Where: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
When: Sunday at 9pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.
With the sting of Champions League disappointment fading but not forgotten, Barcelona are aiming to clinch back-to-back La Liga titles on Sunday when they host bitter rivals Real Madrid.
Leading by 11 points, Hansi Flick’s side only need a draw in the Clasico to be crowned champions again, although a victory against a Los Blancos team in crisis would keep them on course to make history – and celebrate in style.
If Barcelona win their last four league games this season, starting with the battle against Alvaro Arbeloa’s fracturing Madrid, they will match the all-time league record of 100 points.
That was first achieved by Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid in 2011-12 and followed the season after by Tito Vilanova’s Barca.
Madrid’s season, meanwhile, has unravelled on multiple fronts. Manager Xabi Alonso was sacked midway through the campaign and his successor Arbeloa has been unable to prevent the team sliding towards a second successive year without a trophy.
Real suffered a Champions League quarterfinal exit to Bayern Munich, they lost to Albacete in the last 16 of the Copa del Rey, and now are desperate to postpone Barcelona’s La Liga celebrations by recording a second victory over Flick’s team this season.
But Madrid come into the Clasico in the midst of internal chaos, with Federico Valverde reportedly needing stitches after a training ground bust-up with Aurelien Tchouameni, one of a spate of such incidents.
This is the first Clasico at the partially rebuilt Camp Nou in more than three years.
Only once before in Clasico history has the title actually been decided by the result of the game, as could happen again this Sunday.
Real Madrid won the first of their record 36 leagues by drawing 2-2 against Barcelona in the 1931-32 season to clinch the title.
Barca’s 29 wins so far this season are the most of any side at this point, and if they win their last four games, they will break the record of 32 victories in a season, shared by the Mourinho and Vilanova sides.
Should Barca beat Madrid and also Real Betis the following weekend, they will become the first team to win all their home matches in a 38-game La Liga season.
“I see the team in great shape, very focused – we’re all really looking forward to playing the Clasico,” said Barca defender Jules Kounde this week.
“We can win La Liga with a draw, but a win would be the best.”
Los Blancos announced on Friday they had fined Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde 500,000 euros ($588,000) each after a training ground clash that left the latter needing hospital treatment.
The club did not impose any sporting sanctions on the two players, saying in a statement that the fine “thereby concludes the internal procedures” launched against them.
Madrid said both players “expressed their complete remorse for what happened and apologised to each other” while taking part in a club investigation.
Uruguay midfielder Valverde sought to downplay the severity of the altercation with the France midfielder.
“The strain of the competition and frustration caused the situation to escalate,” Valverde wrote on social media, expressing regret at the media coverage of the incident.
“I accidentally hit a table during the argument, causing a small cut on my forehead that required a routine visit to the hospital,” he said. “At no point did my teammate hit me, and I didn’t hit him either.”
It follows another reported issue between defenders Antonio Rudiger and Alvaro Carreras two weeks ago, which the latter said had been dealt with.
On another occasion, veteran right-back Dani Carvajal, frustrated at his own lack of minutes, appeared to mock Trent Alexander-Arnold’s perceived lack of defensive work ethic.
Mbappe, a doubt for the Clasico because of a hamstring injury, has been heavily criticised by fans after he went on holiday to Sardinia during his recovery process.
Even coach Arbeloa, who has treated his superstars with kid gloves, indicated he wanted more dedication.
“We didn’t build Real Madrid with players who play in tuxedos, but with players who finish matches with shirts full of sweat and mud, through effort and sacrifice,” said Arbeloa after Madrid beat Espanyol without Mbappe, to delay Barca’s title celebrations.
Exacerbating the situation, President Florentino Perez is weighing up a dramatic managerial twist, with former coach Jose Mourinho linked with a return to the Santiago Bernabeu.
Barcelona retained the Spanish Super Cup with a thrilling 3-2 El Clasico win over Real Madrid in Saudi Arabia in January.
Raphinha struck twice for the Catalans, with Robert Lewandowski also on target as they beat Xabi Alonso’s team for a record-extending 16th triumph, despite Frenkie de Jong’s late red card.
Goals from Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham earned Real Madrid a 2-1 victory over Barcelona in a spiky El Clasico in October that snapped a four-match losing streak against their football rivals.
Kylian Mbappe, who later missed a penalty, fired Madrid in front, and although Fermin Lopez levelled for the visitors at the Santiago Bernabeu, Bellingham netted a second goal for the hosts before half-time, which proved decisive.
These two clubs have locked horns on 263 occasions; Real Madrid won 107 of those games, Barcelona won 105, while 51 encounters ended as draws.
Last five encounters:
Barca are without teenage star Lamine Yamal, who is out for the next few weeks with a hamstring injury.
The squad is otherwise in strong shape, as defender Andreas Christensen is back in training after a long layoff with a knee problem and Brazilian winger Raphinha returned to the bench last weekend after injury, but did not appear in the win at Osasuna that moved Barca to the brink of the title.
Predicted starting XI:
Joan Garcia (goalkeeper); Kounde, Cubarsi, Martin, Cancelo; Eric Garcia, Pedri; Rashford, Gavi, Fermin; Lewandowski
Los Blancos are waiting to see if top goalscorer Kylian Mbappe can be involved after his hamstring issue.
Thibaut Courtois has been deemed fit enough to play, in a big boost for Madrid.
Dani Carvajal, Rodrygo, Arda Guler, Ferland Mendy and Eder Militao have all been ruled out with injuries.
Valverde will also miss the game as a result of the head injury he suffered during the altercation with Tchouameni. The club said he would be out for up to two weeks.
Tchouameni took part in training on Friday and could feature at Camp Nou this weekend.
Predicted starting XI:
Courtois (goalkeeper); Alexander-Arnold, Rudiger, Huijsen, Fran Garcia; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Pitarch; Bellingham; Vinicius, Mbappe
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