Real Madrid came as close as they could possibly come to finally beating Barcelona this season in their last meeting, but they utimately fell 3-2 in extra time in the Copa del Rey Final a couple of weeks ago after a sea of individual errors proved costly.
With Kylian Mbappe back at full strength and fresh off a game-winning brace in a hard-fought 3-2 win over Celta Vigo this past weekend, Real Madrid have no excuses and every reason to come out firing in a must-win Clasico.
If they want to have even an outside shot at the title this season, they are going to have to beat Barcelona.
Here are three key matchups that will decide the game for Real Madrid on Sunday at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona.
Real Madrid FW Kylian Mbappe vs. Barcelona LB Gerard Martin
Kylian Mbappe has come under fire frequently this season for his failings, but he has still been the best overall attacking threat on Real Madrid with 24 goals and 2.4 dribbles completed per game. Only Vinicius Junior has completed more dribbles on Real Madrid in LaLiga this season, whlie Mbappe has more than double the second-highest goal-scorer on the Merengues (which is Vinicius Jr. with 11).
Alejandro Balde may not be available for Barcelona this weekend, and since Mbappe will likely start on the right side of a two-man attack with Rodrygo Goes sacrificed for the team's stability, the Frenchman will have the opportunity to pick on an entirely unproven commodity in Gerard Martin.
Mbappe helped change the game for Madrid in the last Clasico with a lovely free kick goal to break his biggest personal duck, and he'll need to take over the game on Sunday if Real Madrid are to have a chance. Martin is exactly the kind of wide player Mbappe can beat if he's willing to do the work on the ball, drag Martin out wide, come in, and connect with an onrushing Jude Bellingham. This is the time for Mbappe to prove his all-around game is as strong as Vinicius's.
Real Madrid CB Aurelien Tchouameni vs. Barcelona RW Lamine Yamal
When Real Madrid faced Barcelona in the Spanish Supercup Final, Aurelien Tchouameni made a fool out of himself at center back, exposing his falsely elevated reputation at the position with a series of boneheaded defensive errors that Raphinha took prime advantage of.
Tchouameni has been excellent over the past few weeks as a defensive midfielder, discarding any negative transfer rumors about his future. However, with Antonio Rudiger out injured and suspended anyway, Tchouameni will have to slot in at center back next to Raul Asencio with literally no other senior options available.
The biggest test for Tchou won't be either Ferran Torres or Robert Lewandowsk in the middle, but, rather, mitigating the unstoppable Lamine Yamal. He made mincemeat out of even the three world-class defenders in Inter Milan, so a non-center back like Tchouameni is in for a world of pain. Any false step, lapse of concentration, or basic defensive error can and will be punished by the best player on the planet in ways that will reflect the final scoreline.
Real Madrid FW Vinicius Junior vs. Barcelona RB Eric Garcia
As Real Madrid watch Lamine Yamal drop monsterclass after monsterclass from the Barcelona right wing, they are probably wondering why they can't get a fully consistent season out of left winger Vinicius Junior, who came to Madrid with the same hype as Yamal but, while great, is still not quite meeting the standard of a Real Madrid superstar.
A return of 11 goals and 5 assists is pretty poor for a starting Real Madrid winger who has logged 2,136 LaLiga minutes to this point. Vinicius Jr. has taken over some games, but he has been outright woeful in at least as many this season - and the excuse of Kylian Mbappe taking his shine is, quite frankly, a load of rubbish.
Jules Kounde, the hero of the last Clasico for Barcelona, won't be playing against Vinicius Junior on the Barca right flank. So there is no excuse for Vinicius Jr. to have an off game. He was actually quite good against the Blaugrana in the Copa del Rey Final, and Carlo Ancelotti's unsurprisingly idiotic decision to bench him for Brahim Diaz literally cost Real Madrid the game.
Vinicius Junior should have Eric - or whichever substandard right back option Barcelona trot out there instead of Kounde - on skates. He and Mbappe, together, can own the pitch and form a duo so potent that it is able to outshine the Barcelona attacking trident, which was really the whole point of bringing these two together in the first place.