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The newest chapter of El Clasico–the greatest sports rivalry in the world–will be written on Saturday inside the Santiago Bernabeu, as Real Madrid and Barcelona face off for the 236th time in competitive match history. As is always the case whenever these two world powers meet for 90 minutes, it’s strongly advised that you drop everything you’re doing and glue your eyes to the game.
For viewers in the United States, the match is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. ET and will be broadcast on beIN Sports and beIN Sports Espanol, while there will also be a “Second Screen Experience” on beIN Sports 3 and “Player Focus – Cristiano Ronaldo” on beIN Sports 4. If you can’t get to a TV or don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream of any of these channels by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV services. They cost a monthly fee but all come with a free trial, allowing you to watch at no cost:
Fubo TV: The main “Fubo Premier” channel package includes beIn Sports, beIn Sports Espanol and all of the beIN Sports 2-10 channels, making it by far the best streaming service for watching El Clasico. A free 7-day trial is offered, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Fubo app.
Sling TV: To get beIN Sports (beIn Sports Espanol and beIN Sports 2-10 aren’t offered), you’ll need to sign up for either the “Sling Orange” or “Sling Blue” base packages, then add the “Sports Extra” add-on. A free seven-day trial is offered no matter what package and add-ons you choose, and you can watch on your computer via your browser, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
Preview
Since taking over as manager of Barcelona in May, Ernesto Valverde has been near perfect: 19 wins, five draws and just two defeats. In La Liga play, his squad is undefeated through 16 matches, sporting a plus-35 goal differential and a six-point advantage over second-place Atletico Madrid. Lionel Messi is doing Lionel Messi things (14 goals and five assists in 16 La Liga appearances), Luis Suarez and Paulinho have been efficient in the attack, and the defense has been stout and organized, letting in a league-low seven goals.
“I think now it is really hard to attack Barca,” midfielder Ivan Rakitic said. “We are closer and the lines are better.”
The only thing that has gone wrong for Barca under Valverde? A 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in the first leg of the Supercopa, and a subsequent 2-0 defeat in the second leg. That’s it–26 matches and just two defeats, but they’ve both come against the team they’ll face on Saturday.
That said, not only has Barca won four of the last six at the Bernabeu, but Madrid–after winning both La Liga and the Champions League a season ago–haven’t been nearly as dominant this year. They sit fourth on La Liga table, already 11 points back of Barca (with a match in hand), while Cristiano Ronaldo has just four goals and two assists in 11 appearances, putting him on pace for his least productive La Liga season.
It all sets up for a really interesting match. Everything seems to point towards a Barca win, which would all but eliminate Real Madrid from the title race, but as we’ve seen so many times before in El Clasico, there’s no point in trying to guess what will happen. In this rivalry, you need to expect the unexpected.