One of the greatest rivalries in professional football will soon play out before millions of fans worldwide.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are set to clash for yet another El Clasico match. Notably, this will be the first El Clasico since December 2007 to feature neither longtime stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, following Ronaldo’s signing with Italian club Juventus and Messi’s recent arm injury following a victory over Sevilla.
Here’s all you need to know about El Clasico, including when and where the next match will be played, how to watch, ticket information, odds and who won the previous meeting between the two Spanish football clubs.
Barcelona and Real Madrid have both met in dozens of intense matches for over a century now
What is El Clasico?
El Clasico is the name of any football match between longtime La Liga rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Initially, the term referred only to competitions held in the Spanish championship, though today it’s been generalized to include every match between the two storied Spanish football clubs. The rivalry between the two teams is among the most intense in the world of professional sports and plays into the larger rivalry between the cities of Madrid and Barcelona.
The first match between the two teams in La Liga took place on February 17, 1929 while the first Copa Del Rey match between them took place in 1916. The very first meeting between Real Madrid and Barcelona, however, goes all the way back to May 13, 1902 when they met in the semifinal round of the Copa de la Coronacion.
Overall, the two clubs have met in 271 matches in total, with Barcelona boasting the most wins overall with 112, though Real Madrid holds the most wins for competitive matches with 95.
When is El Clasico 2018?
El Clasico 2018 will be held on Sunday, October 28.
Kickoff is slated for 3:15pm BST (10:15am EST).
The next El Clasico after the upcoming match will be held on March 3, 2019.
Where is El Clasico 2018?
The football match will be held at Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain.
How to watch El Clasico 2018
In the UK, the match can be seen on Eleven Sports, which secured the La Liga broadcast rights after Sky Sports lost them recently.
In addition, the match can also be livestreamed via Eleven Sports’s Android mobile app as well as its iOS mobile and tablet apps.
El Clasico 2018 tickets
Tickets for El Clasico 2018 are going fast but can still be found on a number of websites, including StubHub, FootballTicketNet and Indulge Football.
El Clasico 2018 odds
Currently, the odds for Barcelona to win 2-0 are pegged at 11/1 while the odds of Read Madrid winning 1-0 are thought to be 14/1.
The odds of a 2-2 draw are currently pegged at 9/1.
Why isn’t Messi playing?
In addition to lacking longtime fixture Cristiano Ronaldo, the upcoming match will also not see any play from Lionel Messi following the Barcelona star’s arm fracture during an October 20 match against Sevilla, which the team ultimately won 4-2.
The injury to Messi’s right arm, which will sideline the football star for about three weeks, occurred after he fell to the ground after colliding with Franco Vazquez.
The team quickly confirmed the fracture, which left Messi with heavy bandaging around his right elbow.
According to Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde: ‘It’s an important loss and we have some difficult rivals to face but we have the players to come in.
‘There are games when he has not played from the start and we have played with the same way. We have to stay focused on the important games that we have.’
Who won the last El Clasico?
The last El Clasico match was held on May 6, 2018 and ended in a 2-2 draw.
Notably, this was the last match to feature both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.