Barcelona vs Real Madrid: for the Liga 24/25 title and a historic full in Clásicos

FC Barcelona and Real Madrid will define this Sunday, May 11, at Montjuïc the title of LaLiga EA Sports, with only three matches remaining to be played and a 4-point advantage favorable to the Azulgrana team. In the last Clásico of the season, Hansi Flick's team is going for their third title and the fourth consecutive victory against the 'merengues'.

Barça, however, arrives with extra physical and mental wear after the defeat against Inter Milan in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League (4-3), a duel that ended up being decided in extra time. Madrid, with nothing more than LaLiga to play for, had the whole week to prepare for the match.

• 📺 Schedules and TV: when and where to watch the match live in Spain, Europe, America, Africa and Asia: SEE

Even so, in the physical aspect, the culés look more whole and with fewer casualties. Flick will not be able to count on Jules Koundé, Marc Bernal and Pablo Torre due to injury, but he recovers Robert Lewandowski, Alejandro Balde and Marc Casadó, the latter two after receiving medical discharge on Saturday. The Whites, on the other hand, have six casualties between injured and sanctioned players.

The physical condition of Barça: Will the culés reach the Clásico with just enough gas?

Looking ahead to the Clásico, Barcelona had five days to recover from the intense match against Inter in the Champions League. For the Catalans, this was their second extra time in the last two weeks, since the Copa del Rey final, also against Real Madrid (3-2) was decided in extra time at La Cartuja.

The players who looked most exhausted at the Giuseppe Meazza were Pedri, Iñigo Martínez and Eric García, with the case of the defenders being the most alarming, as they left Milan with some physical discomfort. Luckily, both have fully recovered and will be one hundred percent physically on Sunday.

Barça arrives at the Clásico of matchday 35 with four consecutive victories against Valladolid (1-2), Mallorca (1-0), Celta (4-3) and Leganés (0-1). In addition, Flick's team has not lost in the entire second round of LaLiga, with a total of 13 victories and only 2 draws. 

In fact, the team only lost a couple of matches in the Champions League (against Dortmund and Inter) this 2025, with a total of 24 victories, 5 draws and 2 defeats in 31 appearances in all competitions. 

By far, the Azulgrana team has been the best in LaLiga so far, adding a total of 91 goals in favor in 34 matchdays, 22 more than Madrid (69) and with a noticeably superior goal difference (+58 for the culés, +36 for the Whites).

To this we must add the previous matches between the two, where Barça has taken a brutal advantage. Between LaLiga (0-4), Supercopa (2-5) and Copa (3-2), the overall score is 12-4 favorable to Flick's team, not counting the 2-1 victory in the friendly match played in the preseason in the United States.

Last 5 matches of FC Barcelona in LaLiga

Pau Víctor had the first clear chance for Barça against Valladolid

1. 🟢 1-2 against Valladolid in Pucela (matchday 34)
2. 🟢 1-0 against Mallorca in Montjuïc (matchday 33)
3. 🟢 4-3 against Celta in Montjuïc (matchday 32)
4. 🟢 0-1 against Leganés in Butarque (matchday 31)
5. 🟡 1-1 against Betis in Montjuïc (matchday 30)

The 'Casa Blanca', on the other hand, has completed a very irregular second round of LaLiga, with 3 defeats and 2 draws in the 15 matchdays. Likewise, Carlo Ancelotti's team ran out of options in the Champions League after falling in the quarterfinals, while the defeat in the Copa meant the farewell to two of the three most important titles at stake.

Therefore, LaLiga is the last hope to try to save a season that was supposed to be historic after the arrival of Kylian Mbappé and the obtaining of the double in 24/25. With 'Carletto' sentenced, Madrid will bet on an interim coach for the Club World Cup.

Before the Clásico, the Whites struggled to defeat Alavés (0-1), Athletic (1-0), Getafe (0-1) and Celta (3-2). On matchday 30, the team fell at home against Valencia (1-2), but Barça could not take advantage of the slip-up after drawing against Betis at home (1-1).

Last 5 matches of Real Madrid in LaLiga

1. 🟢3-2 against Celta at the Bernabéu (matchday 34)
2. 🟢0-1 against Getafe in Madrid (matchday 33)
3. 🟢1-0 against Athletic at the Bernabéu (matchday 32)
4. 🟢0-1 against Alavés in Vitoria (matchday 31)
5. 🔴1-2 against Valencia at the Bernabéu (matchday 30)

Barça is going for its fourth victory in Clásicos this season and its third title in 24/25

In that sense, Barcelona has everything at its disposal to sentence its 28th Liga title at Montjuïc and an unprecedented full in Clásicos in the same season. Flick's team can make history by being the only team capable of winning four times in a row against Madrid in the same season.

In addition, this would mean winning three titles (Liga, Copa and Supercopa) in the hand-to-hand against the 'merengues'. In the Copa, Pedri, Ferran Torres and Jules Koundé were the Azulgrana heroes in a dramatic and unforgettable final defined in extra time.

In January, in Arabia, Barça crushed Madrid in the Supercopa (2-5) with goals from Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski, Alejandro Balde and Raphinha (double), in a final that could have been much more crushing without the expulsion of Szczesny in the second half.

And, in the first round of LaLiga, the culés had also thrashed the Whites at the Santiago Bernabéu (0-4) after a great second half in which Lamine, Raphinha and Lewandowski (double) scored.

• 📋 Call-up: the list of Barcelona players called up for the Clásico: SEE

Flick will repeat his XI from the Copa final, with Eric García in place of Koundé

Barça's XI in the 2025 Copa del Rey final

For Flick, beyond the returns of Lewandowski, Balde and Casadó, there is not too much to touch in a lineup that, despite falling in Italy against Inter, continues to provide very good results. Szczesny will be in goal, already with Ter Stegen recovered and ready to add minutes, as he showed last Saturday in Valladolid.

Eric García, author of a great goal on Tuesday in Milan, will again be in charge of replacing Jules Koundé on the right side, while Gerard Martín, another with very good work at the Giuseppe Meazza (gave 2 assists) will again occupy the left side.

In the center of the defense, Pau Cubarsí and Iñigo Martínez will be starters again, while Frenkie de Jong and Pedri González also remain in the XI despite the wear and tear in the Champions League. Further ahead will appear Dani Olmo, starting midfielder of the team in the final stretch of the season.

The Terrassa native was a figure against Celta and Mallorca, also scoring a header against Inter. In attack, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Ferran Torres complete an XI identical to the one that won the Copa del Rey at La Cartuja, with the exception of Eric for Koundé.

On the bench, this time there will be much more depth, with Lewandowski ready to add minutes in the second half along with Gavi and Fermín López. In defensive tasks, Ronald Araujo, Balde, Héctor Fort and Casadó himself can also contribute their grain of sand if Flick considers it necessary.

• ℹ️ Lineups: the possible starting XIs of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid: SEE

Real Madrid exhausts its last hope in the Liga Clásico

Kylian Mbappé in a match with Real Madrid

For Real Madrid, the Clásico at Montjuïc is their last hope to try to save a lamentable season. In addition to the defeats against Barça in Liga, Copa and Supercopa, Carlo Ancelotti's team said goodbye thrashed by Arsenal in the Champions League (5-1 on aggregate), completing a grotesque end of cycle with the Italian coach.

Although the team won the European Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup at the end of 2024, 2025 has been disastrous, letting slip a 7-point advantage in LaLiga at the start of the second round and with more than three months without being able to win a Liga match by more than one goal difference.

Since the 0-3 against Valladolid on January 25, the Whites have only been able to add three points with victories by the minimum. Ancelotti never found a way to fit Kylian Mbappé into his scheme, beyond the 35 goals scored by the Bondy native in the season.

With Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo Goes far from their best version, the team lost brilliance and depth. This, added to the multiple casualties due to injury in defense (Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy) and the unusual transfer policy (they did not incorporate reinforcements in winter) made the Italian's cycle wear out much faster.

Even so, the decorous defeat against Barça at La Cartuja and the wear and tear of the culés against Inter gives a minimum hope to the 'merengues' to stay alive in LaLiga until the last matchday. The Azulgrana team, even falling in the Clásico, will continue to depend on itself to be champion, with a 1-point advantage and the direct confrontation in its favor.

• 📌 Follow the Clásico of matchday 35 of LaLiga live FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid on FCBN and find out everything. Don't miss anything!