Barcelona v Real Madrid: first El Clasico date confirmed

La Liga has confirmed that the first El Clasico of the season between Barcelona and Real Madrid will take place on 25 October, with the meeting scheduled for 22:00 Cairo time.

The fixture will be played at Camp Nou and forms part of the 10th round of the Spanish league campaign. It will be the first league meeting of the season between the two traditional rivals, with both clubs having made perfect starts to their domestic campaigns.

Barcelona and Real Madrid have each won their opening three league matches, giving both sides a maximum points tally ahead of their meeting. The early results mean the first El Clasico will bring together two teams that have collected every available point so far this season.

The match will return the fixture to Camp Nou after last season’s first meeting between the sides was held at Santiago Bernabeu. Real Madrid won that game, while Barcelona responded by taking victory in the return fixture at Camp Nou during the second half of the campaign.

That result at Camp Nou helped underline the competitive balance between the clubs last season, although Barcelona ultimately finished above Real Madrid and secured the Spanish league title for a second consecutive campaign.

The October fixture will therefore offer Real Madrid the opportunity to build on last season’s victory in the first meeting, while Barcelona will look to repeat the result that saw them defeat their rivals at Camp Nou in the return game.

With the date now set, the opening El Clasico of the campaign is one of the headline fixtures of the Spanish league schedule. The game will be played in the evening according to Cairo time and will take place during the 10th round, later in the season than the opening three rounds in which both clubs have maintained unbeaten records through successive wins.

Barcelona’s home advantage will add another element to the contest, given that the two sides exchanged victories in their meetings last season. Real Madrid claimed the first win at Santiago Bernabeu, but Barcelona took the points when the fixture was staged at Camp Nou in the second round.

Barcelona enter the new campaign as the reigning Spanish league champions, having retained the title for the second year running. Real Madrid, meanwhile, will arrive at Camp Nou knowing that they have already won the corresponding fixture from the previous season.

The confirmed schedule gives supporters a clear date for the first major meeting between the two clubs this season. It also sets up a contest between the league’s two early pace-setters, after both Barcelona and Real Madrid took maximum points from their first three matches.