Éder Militão vs Raphinha
This is a duel pitting two of the best Brazilian players in the world against each other. Raphinha, the FC Barcelona winger, has been key in the team’s attack this season, standing out for his speed and ability to get past defenders. In the current campaign, he has registered five goals and five assists in LALIGA EA SPORTS. Éder Militão, meanwhile, has been a fundamental part of Real Madrid’s defensive back line for some time now and, given that he has played as a right-back in the past, the club’s coaching staff are confident in his ability to stop his fellow countryman. Raphinha will look to use his agility and creativity to find space, but Militão will be there trying to impose his strength and trying to snuff out any chances.
Vinícius vs Jules Koundé
This isn’t any ordinary duel, this is a spectacle. In Vinícius, Real Madrid have such a dynamic winger and somebody who has made a significant impact in matches against FC Barcelona before. For example, in 2023/24 he scored a hat-trick in the Spanish Super Cup final against Los Azulgranas, leading his team to a 4-1 victory. He is now coming off the back of a hat-trick against Borussia Dortmund and is the front-runner to lift the Ballon d'Or.
In this game, he’ll come up against Jules Koundé, a pillar of the away team’s defence and a player who recently made his 100th appearance for Barça, demonstrating his consistency and elite defensive ability. In direct confrontations with Vinícius, Koundé has already experienced the difficult task of containing the speedy Brazilian, but has on occasion been able to limit his impact on the game. Vinícius, though, will look to use his pace and dribbling to get past Koundé and to add to the five league goals he has to his name this season.
Antonio Rüdiger vs Robert Lewandowski
Two physically imposing players will come together in this duel. FC Barcelona’s Polish striker Robert Lewandowski has had a spectacular start to the season, scoring 12 goals in 10 LALIGA EA SPORTS matches. His ability to find space and his precision finishing make him a constant threat to any defence. But, this time he’ll come up against Antonio Rüdiger, the German centre-back who is a wall in Real Madrid’s defence. He can also get forward and score, as he did in the last match when he started the comeback at the Bernabéu against Borussia Dortmund.
Kylian Mbappé vs Pau Cubarsí
Kylian Mbappé’s first ELCLASICO since joining Real Madrid presents several interesting storylines, one of which is this individual battle between the forward and Pau Cubarsí. Mbappé has scored eight goals in 13 games in all competitions, averaging a goal every 132 minutes, yet he is still adapting to the team’s style of play. Meanwhile, Cubarsí has emerged as an excellent defensive talent, even though he is still just 17 years of age.
He has demonstrated great maturity and defensive ability, making him indispensable for Hansi Flick. This will not be the first clash between the two players, given that they already met in a memorable Champions League tie last season, when Mbappé was still at PSG. In the first leg, Cubarsi managed to contain the Frenchman well, but the forward scored twice in the return leg, when Barça were down to 10 men. That recent match-up makes this upcoming ELCLASICO duel extra intriguing.
Ferland Mendy vs Lamine Yamal
One of Europe’s elite defenders will go up against one of the continent’s most exciting young forwards in this duel. Lamine Yamal’s meteoric rise at FC Barcelona has only continued this season, as he has registered six assists in 10 LALIGA EA SPORTS games so far this season, with a pass completion rate over 80% according to FootyStats, while he has also shown he knows where the back of the net is and even scored a brace against Girona FC. Ferland Mendy, meanwhile, has been key for Real Madrid, appearing in eight LALIGA EA SPORTS matches and helping his side to keep three clean sheets. When Mendy is on the pitch, his team only concede a goal every 116 minutes. Both these players are good at what they do and will face off this Saturday.
Jude Bellingham vs Dani Olmo
These two players know each other well, as they’ve met six times already in their young careers, at club and national team level. They faced off in four Borussia Dortmund vs RB Leipzig matches. Then, in the 2023/24 season, they met again, this time with Bellingham at Real Madrid. Although Bellingham and Los Blancos advanced in that tie, Olmo later enjoyed victory when Spain defeated England in the final of Euro 2024. Their previous encounters have been both tactical and technical, pitting Bellingham’s line-breaking ability and goalscoring prowess against Olmo’s vision and precision. Both these attacking players bring different but equally effective styles of play to the table.
Carlo Ancelotti vs Hansi Flick
The tactical tussle will be between two very successful coaches. This, though, will be Hansi Flick’s first official ELCLASICO, while it is Carlo Ancelotti’s 17th. They did already face off in a pre-season game in the USA in the summer, when Flick’s side won 2-1, but there is no official precedent of these coaches going up against each other. Looking at what they’ve achieved in their managerial careers, Ancelotti has used his man-management and tactical flexibility to clinch two LALIGA EA SPORTS titles in addition to five Champions League trophies, three of them with Real Madrid.
He has also enjoyed success in other European leagues, with teams such as AC Milan, Chelsea and PSG. Flick, meanwhile, had his crowning achievement when he led Bayern Munich to a sextuple in 2020. Now at FC Barcelona, he has shown how good a coach he is by achieving nine wins from his first 10 LALIGA EA SPORTS fixtures, slightly better than Real Madrid’s seven wins from 10 so far. Now, these two elite coaches will go up against each other in this blockbuster match.