Real Madrid’s last visit to the Camp Nou came in 2023 – a 4-0 win in the Copa del Rey semi-final second leg built on a Karim Benzema hat-trick and a standout display from Vinicius Jr.
Barcelona had camped at the Montjuïc stadium during the renovations of the Camp Nou – it has been a renovation of fortunes as well. 11 points ahead at kick-off, needing only a draw – they are all but confirmed to secure successive LaLiga titles.
Real Madrid’s season, on the other hand, has turned into an unprecedented
implosion since the October Clásico at the Bernabeu earlier this seaosn. Madrid defeated Barcelona 2-1 in that game and were five points clear at the top of LaLiga – what seems like a lifetime ago now.
The episode involving Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni is considered closed, at least from the club’s point of view, with both players hit with a 500,000-euro fine. Tchouameni is available for selection against Barcelona. However, the damage the incident has caused to Real Madrid’s reputation cannot be quantified. The team was already out of all competitions when this happened. Such astonishing levels of dressing-room unrest could only make things worse, and they did.
The result of the Clásico on Sunday at the Camp Nou is deemed a foregone conclusion. Very few people are expecting Real Madrid to ace this fixture, if any. Barcelona, even without their best player – Lamine Yamal – are overwhelming favorites to rub salt on Madrid’s wounds by celebrating their LaLiga title, just by avoiding defeat.
For Madrid, taking anything out of this game except self-reflection would be ignorant and blasphemous to the situation the club is in.
