Circled in thick red marker pen since the fixture list was announced, the first Clásico of the season is upon us with Barcelona hosting Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday.
The meeting of Spain’s great rivals is always box office, but the match has reached new levels of anticipation this autumn, amid a sea of narratives.
José Mourinho returns to the fixture for the first time in 13 years, bringing all the bad blood, baggage and conspiracy theories that contribute to the creation of absolute cinema.
Amid the melodrama, Barcelona’s lightning start means Madrid really need to come out fighting in this game or face the uncomfortable reality that La Liga might be out of their grasp before Mariah Carey has even hit the airwaves.
With a who’s who of the game’s great and good on show, here’s a combined XI of the two rivals’ available players.
Barcelona vs. Real Madrid Combined XI
GK: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
In reality, there is very little to choose from between two of the best keepers in the business. Joan García was handed both La Liga’s Zamora Trophy (for the league’s best goalkeeper) and the Save of the Season award in 2025–26 and has proven a remarkable signing for Barcelona since joining from Espanyol in 2025.
Courtois though, on his day, is arguably still the best keeper in the world. The 34-year-old has kept only two clean sheets all season, but can hardly be blamed for Madrid’s leakiness. The Belgian has made 29 saves so far in 2026–27 to García’s 15, and boasts a superior save percentage at 76.3% to 68.2%.
RB: Xavi Espart (Barcelona)
With José Mourinho cycling unconvincingly between Denzel Dumfries, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Federico Valverde, the Barça option is the obvious choice.
A barely known quantity prior to this season, Espart—another gem from Barça’s fabled class of 2007—has shone on both sides of the defense this season, despite coming through the academy system as a midfielder.
An emergency option midweek, the 19-year-old shut down both Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué against PSG—he wasn’t dribbled past once all game—and popped up with a goal, showcasing his fine attacking instincts.
CB: Pau Cubarsí (Barcelona)
Named the Young Player of the Tournament at the 2026 World Cup, Cubarsí is the favorite to win the coveted Golden Boy award after a sensational year for Barcelona and Spain.
The 19-year-old played every minute of Spain’s triumph in North America and is now well-established as Barça’s key center back. No player in La Liga averages more passes per game this season than Cubarsí’s 98.8.
CB: Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid)
After a middling debut season last summer, Huijsen has looked more assured as the ball player at the heart of Los Blancos’ defense so far in 2026–27—Madrid derby red card aside.
The Dutch-born Spain international is regularly the player on the pitch with the most touches, passes and defensive contributions.
LB: Marc Cucurella (Real Madrid)
Much was expected of Cucurella when he joined Real Madrid from Chelsea at the outset of the summer. However, the Bernabéu is still yet to see the very best of the World Cup winner.
During the last international break, Luis de la Fuente admitted Cucurella was among those stars who raise their game when pulling on a Spain jersey, saying: “With us, something happens... When they join the national team, they transform. Some sometimes show a level far superior to what they show at their club.”
Still, on his day Cucurella remains a tenacious pest of a defender; a two-way threat as capable of contributing to his team’s attacks as he is at snuffing out those of the opposition.
CM: Rodri (Barcelona)
Coveted by both Clásico clubs in the summer, Barcelona were the pick of the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner—and they are all the better for it.
There is simply no more complete midfielder in the game than Rodri—a one-man shield, conductor and metronome.
Infuriatingly for Mourinho, he is also exactly the sort of player Real Madrid have missed in the engine room this season.
CM: Arda Güler (Real Madrid)
Whether out on the wing or in a deeper role, Güler has picked up where he left off last season, as he continues his ascension to superstardom.
Arguably Madrid’s best performer in 2026–27 (Kylian Mbappé aside), only Lamine Yamal has more key passes than the 21-year-old Türkiye star’s 31 in La Liga so far this season.
RW: Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Is there a better soccer player in the world right now? With his midweek strike against PSG, Yamal became the first player in Europe’s big leagues to hit double figures for both goals and assists this season.
Though the match itself won’t affect the final result (voting has already closed), Yamal will find out if he has been voted this year’s Ballon d’Or winner the day after the Clásico.
AM: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
Bellingham’s main character energy shades it over the impressive Fermín López.
On a tear since the World Cup, Bellingham has thrived in the central role for Mourinho’s Madrid, clearly loving life again after being moved from pillar to post under both Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa.
LW: Anthony Gordon (Barcelona)
Madrid’s big summer signing Yan Diomande has sparkled of late with six goal contributions in his last four outings, but Gordon has been a revelation for Barcelona this season—quickly dispersing any doubts that he would prove only a much more expensive version of what the club already had in Marcus Rashford.
The 25-year-old has slotted seamlessly into Hansi Flick’s team, impressing with his endless running and ability to operate across the front line.
Only two players have more than the Englishman’s four La Liga assists this season—while no-one is likely to get a more aesthetically pleasing one than his backheel to Raphinha in the win over Rayo Vallecano.
ST: Raphinha (Barcelona)
Probably the only player in the world who could keep Mbappé out of a combined XI on form, Raphinha has been on fire at the start of 2026–27, scoring an outrageous 12 times in eight La Liga outings—no other player in Europe’s top five leagues even has ten yet.
The Brazilian’s reinvention as the sport’s most prolific front man was a happy accident after Barça failed to sign a striker this summer following Robert Lewandowski’s exit.
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