Vinicius Junior Absence Seen as a Solution for Real Madrid as Barcelona Chase Record

Hansi Flick's side lead La Liga by five points over Atletico Madrid and six ahead of their bitter rivals. Furthermore, they have the chance to break Real Madrid's record for consecutive wins at the start of a season, having equalled Los Blancos' 1968–69 milestone with their victory in round nine.

Although their first defeat of the season—a 4-2 loss away to Paris Saint-Germain in Wednesday's Champions League clash—reignited doubts about their defence, the Catalan giants remain unstoppable domestically and will be aiming for a tenth straight league win.

Real Madrid have won their last four matches, netting four goals in three of them. So far, they have suffered just two defeats: a 1-0 loss to Real Betis in matchday four and a 2-1 derby defeat against Atletico Madrid in round seven, having played from the 50th minute with ten men following Dean Huijsen's red card.

Barcelona captain Raphinha is back to full fitness, but Dani Olmo remains sidelined after picking up an injury in Paris. The Spaniard joins Andreas Christensen, Eric Garcia, and Jules Kounde on the injury list, with the latter being the only one who holds an outside chance of making the matchday squad for Sunday's blockbuster clash.

Real Madrid will be without Vinicius Junior, who has struggled for form this season and extended his goal drought to nine matches in Wednesday's Champions League fixture. The Brazilian forward misses El Clasico as he serves a four-match suspension for pulling Nathan Saliba's hair against Villarreal (1-0). "Vinicius's four-match absence was seen inside the club more as a solution than a problem," Spanish daily AS reported.

The winger was the standout performer in Real's last victory over the Blaugrana, a 2-1 home win, though his petulant reaction to being substituted drew the headlines and fuelled reports of a strained relationship with then-manager Xabi Alonso. Real sat five points clear atop La Liga at the time, but the atmosphere at the club subsequently deteriorated, and Alonso was dismissed in January, just a day after a 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup.

His successor, Alvaro Arbeloa, was unable to stop Madrid from finishing a second consecutive campaign without major silverware, while Barca cruised to retain the league title. The Catalans sealed the championship in the third El Clasico of the season, beating Real 2-0 at home with three games to spare to claim their 29th domestic crown.

Real boss Jose Mourinho, heading into his first El Clasico since returning to the helm after a 13-year absence, warned his squad against complacency despite their recent upturn in form. "In an El Clasico, confidence doesn't exist. It's just another league match, but it's not a game like any other," said the Portuguese tactician, who also lamented having less preparation time than Sunday's opponents. "Compared to Barcelona, we lose 24 hours of rest, but it is what it is..."

His counterpart, however, must navigate defensive injury woes alongside the absence of Olmo. Flick's men conceded four goals in the Champions League during their toughest test of the season so far, and defensive frailty continues to be a persistent talking point of his tenure. "We made too many mistakes, especially in possession, giving the ball away too easily," Flick admitted.

"That is what we have to analyse. At the same time, we need to understand that mistakes happen because the players aren't well-rested enough. What they have had to endure over the past few weeks is incredible," the German tactician added.

The encouraging news for Flick is that his side is averaging more than four goals per game this season, with Raphinha leading the league scoring charts on 12 goals. Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe sits three behind, while Lamine Yamal ranks third with eight strikes.

The two sides have met in 264 competitive fixtures, with the head-to-head record perfectly poised following Barcelona's victory last season. The Catalans claimed their 106th win in the derby, while 52 clashes have ended all square. The next chapter unfolds on Sunday at Camp Nou, with kick-off at 21:00 CET.