This is the first major meeting of the season in La Liga. Leader of the standings with two points ahead, Real Madrid welcomes its runner-up, FC Barcelona. Swept out in the Madrid derby on Atlético's field (5-2), the Merengues are expected to turn the corner, so as not to add another question mark to their excellent start to the championship.
Last season, Real experienced an ordeal during the Clasicos against Barça, and in particular during the first, which was also scheduled for October 26. The result? 4-0 victory for the Blaugranas at the Bernabeu, and real suffering for Kylian Mbappé, penalized 12 times in an offside position, notably on an action which could have allowed him to open the scoring.
Marca is interested this Saturday morning in this crucial point of the meeting. The offside trap, which could close again on Mbappé. The Bondynois was penalized 13 times in the following three Clasicos, finishing with a hat-trick in the second leg in La Liga, which shows some adaptation.
Mbappé offside or not, the key to the Clasico?
According to data from the Spanish daily, Barça defends on average at 39.9 meters from his goal. This is 7 meters more than the average for La Liga teams, and 2.2 meters more than last season. Hansi Flick therefore always goes further in his principles.
Opposite, thanks in particular to the higher positioning desired by Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid are less often subject to offsides than last season (1.56 times versus 2.24). Of the team's 19 offsides in 12 matches, 11 concern Kylian Mbappé, who is the player who takes the most depth.
Everything could therefore come down to it, on the timing between the calls from Bondynois and the passes from his teammates, and on the alignment of the Barcelona defense. Real's number 10 will inevitably appear several times in front of the Blaugrana goalkeeper. It remains to be seen whether the assistant referee will raise his flag or not…
