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As October draws to a close and a relentless winter of football looms into view, the biggest domestic game of the season anywhere in Europe – and a contest that could decide a title race – is set to light up a gloomy Sunday afternoon. But after Scottish league leaders Hearts take on Celtic at midday [GMT! – Football Daily Ed], there’s also a decent-looking fixture in Spain. Yes, el clásico is back, this time with a hefty dose of existential angst.
We may only be nine games into the season, but La Liga’s table already has a familiar look to it, with Real Madrid and Barcelona – who have taken turns to lift the title over the last four seasons – already forging a gap above chasers Villarreal and Atlético. Hansi Flick’s Barça, the defending champions, have an attacking deck so stacked they make the Harlem Globetrotters look conservative. Last season, they racked up 16 goals across four beatings of their bitter rivals – but an unexpected 4-1 hoofing at Sevilla last week means they go to the Bernabéu in second place. Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid rebuild has been less spectacular but still ruthlessly effective, the Death Star undergoing a deep clean. Like Barça, they have one weirdly lopsided away loss on their record – the 5-2 derby defeat to Atlético – but have won their other eight games.
