Barcelona host Real Madrid at Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday at 21:00 CET, and the visitors have lost their goalkeeper hours before kick-off. Real Madrid's own preview lists Thibaut Courtois as a late absence. Libertad Digital reported that the club's statement blamed a flu-like illness, and that Andriy Lunin will start in goal for his first minutes of the season.

The stakes are in the La Liga table. Barcelona have won all nine of their league games and have 27 points. Real Madrid are third on 21, so the gap is six points before kick-off. A home win would make it nine, and a Madrid win would cut it to three.

Both squads are missing key players

Dani Olmo is out for Barcelona after the injury he picked up against PSG on Tuesday, and Sports Illustrated says it will keep him out for about a month. Hansi Flick spoke about the loss of Olmo at his pre-match press conference, as published by the club.

Olmo was in a really good place. He was fit and at 100%. He's been unlucky, but we have to accept it. We'll miss him.

Hansi Flick, Barcelona pre-match press conference, via fcbarcelona.com

Flick also said the club does not want to take a risk with Jules Koundé, who was the one first-team player missing from Saturday's training session.

Real Madrid also travel without Vinícius Júnior. He is serving a four-match domestic ban, according to Goal, after he was sent off in the 1-0 win over Villarreal, and the Clásico is the second of the four games. Sports Illustrated lists Ferland Mendy, Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo as injured, and none of the three is in Madrid's 23-man squad.

Madrid arrive on a run, Barcelona on a defeat

Real Madrid have won all four of their games in October, according to the club, including 1-0 against Villarreal and 4-1 against Sevilla in La Liga. Kylian Mbappé leads the team with 12 goals this season. José Mourinho was careful about what that form is worth, in a quote the club published from his pre-match press conference.

We come in with good momentum, but these matches are different, and what you did before doesn't have any bearing.

José Mourinho, Real Madrid pre-match press conference, English translation via realmadrid.com

Flick spoke just as warmly about the Madrid coach.

I have great respect for him. He's managed some great teams over many years, and he's been successful.

Hansi Flick, Barcelona pre-match press conference, via fcbarcelona.com

Barcelona's league run is intact, but their week was not. They lost 4-2 at PSG in the Champions League on Tuesday, a result that ended an 11-match winning run in all competitions, Al Jazeera reported. Lamine Yamal scored in Paris. Before that, Barcelona had made it nine from nine in the league with a 5-2 win at Betis. Flick said what the game means to him at his pre-match press conference.

It's the best this sport has to offer. It's much more than three points.

Hansi Flick, Barcelona pre-match press conference, via fcbarcelona.com

Barcelona have won four of the last five meetings

The club's own head-to-head record lists the last five games between the two. Barcelona won four of them: 2-0 in La Liga and 3-2 in the Spanish Super Cup in 2025-26, 4-3 in La Liga in 2024-25 and 3-2 in the Copa del Rey in 2024-25. Real Madrid won the other, 2-1 in La Liga in 2025-26.

Madrid's next league game is Racing Santander on 1 November, the third of Vinícius's four matches, according to Goal.