Real Madrid (5:2 against Dortmund) and FC Barcelona (4:1 against Bayern Munich) have set themselves up perfectly for the first Clásico of the season with demonstrations of power against top German clubs.
Barcelona travel to the Bernabeu Stadium as La Liga leaders with a three-point lead over their arch-rivals and will be looking to end a negative streak on Saturday evening (21:00). Barça have lost their last four head-to-head encounters against Real.
"It's good to travel to Madrid with a win like this in the bag. This win gives us the confidence to believe in our quality. With the level the team has shown, we can achieve great things. Everyone is looking forward to the Clásico," said Barcelona coach Hansi Flick.
Barcelona can rely on an attack in top form. Young star Lamine Yamal took his European Championship form into the new season, Robert Lewandowski is the top scorer with twelve goals from ten games and captain Raphinha shone as the outstanding player with three goals against Bayern Munich. "I've never had a player like him as a coach," said Flick, praising the Brazilian, who has scored nine goals and provided eight assists in all competitive matches. Raphinha, the former 58-million transfer from Leeds United, was still considered a candidate for sale in the summer. However, the 27-year-old found the form of his life under Flick.
In terms of attacking power, Real Madrid are in no way inferior to their arch-rivals from Barcelona, even if Kylian Mbappé has not yet hit the ground running and has scored three of his six league goals from the penalty spot. On the other hand, Vinicius junior continues to guarantee wins and points for the reigning Spanish champions and Champions League winners. "Vinicius will win the Ballon d'Or," predicts his coach Carlo Ancelotti. The Ballon d'Or is awarded two days after the Clásico.
Real Madrid go into the first summit meeting of the season with a number of notable absentees: in addition to the long-term injured David Alaba (defender) and Dani Carvajal (captain), goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and striker Rodrygo are also missing after suffering muscle injuries against Dortmund in the Champions League.
SDA