Real Madrid vs. Barcelona live score, updates, highlights for El Clasico as Benzema, Valverde have Los Blancos ahead

El Clasico is back to being a top-of-the-table clash as Real Madrid and Barcelona enter the match tied atop La Liga. It's the first of two head-to-head battles in league play and the stakes will be high, especially given what transpired in midweek.

Barcelona all but confirmed a second consecutive group stage exit in the Champions League on Wednesday, meaning they will likely begin to prioritize La Liga, which makes this match extra important. Barcelona currently have the edge over Real Madrid on goal differential and at least a draw at the Bernabeu would keep them in first place.

Real Madrid, meanwhile, are charging ahead in Champions League action but will want to maintain control of La Liga given that's really all Barcelona have left to play for. Los Blancos will be aware that a victory over Barcelona could send their rival's season into a momentary tailspin.

The Sporting News will be following the Real Madrid vs. Barcelona match live and providing score updates, commentary and highlights as they happen.

 MORE: Barcelona on the cusp of elimination after Champions League slip at Camp Nou

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona live score

	1H	2H	Final
Real Madrid	2	0	—
Barcelona	0	0	—

Goals: 12th min — RMA — Karim Benzema35th min — RMA — Federico Valverde

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona live updates, highlights from El Clasico

51st min: It's been a slow start to the second half, and while Barcelona have had the most possession, it's Real Madrid with the first half-chance. Benzema finds Kroos with a cut-back, but it's a difficult chance from range at a tight angle, and the German rifles over the bar.

46th min: We're under way for the second half. Xavi, already under pressure as Barcelona manager after the Champions League calamity midweek, now has a mountain to climb to get the Blaugrana back in this match. No changes yet from the visiting side as the second half begins.

HALFTIME: Real Madrid 2-0 Barcelona

It's a shocking first 45 minutes from Xavi's side. They were second-best on both ends of the pitch, stifled in the attack and torn apart at the back.

Real Madrid's big-game players have shown up at the Bernabeu. Karim Benzema opened the scoring, and Federico Valverde doubled the lead. Just how Carlo Ancelotti drew it up after playing the game down as "not life or death" in the pre-match buildup. Xavi wanted his players to get back to "having fun" on the pitch, but Madrid are the ones who look to be enjoying their football.

Karim Benzema has a date with the Ballon d'Or tomorrow, but has had one more say on today's proceedings before heading to Paris for the ceremony.

Ballon d'Or loading? ???? pic.twitter.com/Cnb6Aw2tIz

— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) October 16, 2022

43rd min: Barcelona venture forward, and they create a headed opportunity in front of goal for Lewandowski, but he's double-teamed by Militao and Carvajal and is bullied off the aerial chance. This Real Madrid defense has stood tall at every opportunity.

41st min: Just like the immediate aftermath of the first goal, Real Madrid appear energized by Fede Valverde's strike. They're putting the Barca defense under oodles of pressure, and Xavi's side can't get out of its own half.

35th min: GOAL! REAL MADRID! It's all coming apart for Barcelona, as Federico Valverde puts Real Madrid 2-0 up! The visitors had a good last 10 minutes, but it all falls to pieces as the in-form Fede Valverde hits a precise strike from outside the top of the box, beating ter Stegen to the inside of the left post with a low effort. It was a bit out of nothing, as it seemed Barcelona has it covered, but nobody stepped out to Valverde, and he smashes it home.

Watch in the USA:

A GOLAZO FROM FEDERICO VALVERDE ???? pic.twitter.com/f1KnpCXUq6

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 16, 2022

Watch in the UK:

Fede Valverde with a beauty to double Madrid's lead! ????

Barcelona had conceded one goal in 8 LaLiga games heading into this one, and they've now conceded two in just 35 minutes of #ElClasico ???? pic.twitter.com/8EwiDefQcc

— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) October 16, 2022

30th min: There's the first yellow card of the match, and it's for dissent as Vinicius Jr thought he was fouled but it's not given. Moments later, Barcelona are given a foul in midfield and the official emphatically books the Brazilian for his continued protests.

25th min: Chance, Barcelona! How has Lewandowski missed that??? Barcelona have been purring the last few minutes, and a cross from the right flank is a dangerous one, across the face of goal and not dealt with. It squirts through past a sliding de Jong to the far post where Lewandowski comes flying in. He reaches it, but somehow pops it high up in the air and over the bar, with the entire goal gaping.

Replay, however, does show that Lewandowski may have been offside on the chance, meaning it probably would have been ruled out had he scored. Still, a shocking miss from one of the world's top strikers.

Robert Lewandowski ????

How did he miss?!#ElClasico #BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/5u2xEKhMkk

— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) October 16, 2022

23rd min: The referee stops play for a foul on Busquets by Fede Valverde, coming in late with his studs. No booking yet, however. It's honestly a bit surprising that no yellow card was shown to Busquets earlier for the foul on Kroos during the build-up to the Madrid goal, as there was a clear drag-back but the referee played advantage.

19th min: Real Madrid have taken full control of this match, and Barcelona look on edge. They're pinging passes and sliding through-balls, with Barcelona on their heels. The home fans are buzzing.

1 - Karim @Benzema ???????? (11:27) has scored the earliest @realmadriden ⚪️⚪️ goal against #Barcelona in @LaLigaEN at Santiago Bernabéu since the French himself (5:36) in March 2013 (final 2-1 for the Whites). Or. pic.twitter.com/4Gf8xwW6U0

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 16, 2022

12th min: GOAL! REAL MADRID! It's an utterly gorgeous goal, built all the way from the back. Off a speculative Barcelona, the hosts built forward through the length of the pitch. Toni Kroos somehow finds Vinicius Jr down the left despite being yanked back by a helpless Sergio Busquets. The Brazilian's effort is blocked, but it draws ter Stegen out of the net, and the main man Karim Benzema is there to bag the rebound through traffic.

Benzema ends his five-match goal drought, scoring the 12th El Clasico goal of his glittering career!

Watch in the USA:

BENZEMA OPENS THE SCORING IN EL CLÁSICO ???? pic.twitter.com/fhtEms6yjw

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) October 16, 2022

Watch in the UK:

"It is KARIM BENZEMA!" ????️

Real Madrid's superstar striker scores first in #ElClasico ⚪ pic.twitter.com/Cje5NMEYiq

— Premier Sports (@PremierSportsTV) October 16, 2022

Watch in Australia:

REAL MADRID LEAD IN EL CLASICO! ????????????

Who else but Karim Benzema scores his first goal in five matches to lead against Barcelona in the huge fixture!

Stream LIVE, or on demand after, here ???? https://t.co/1DZHhf5nS3#OptusSport #LaLiga pic.twitter.com/Zwkypwu77x

— Optus Sport (@OptusSport) October 16, 2022

8th min: Chance, Real Madrid! It's the first chance for Real Madrid to counter now, as Ferland Mendy finds Vinicius Jr. The Brazilian cuts onto his left from a tight angle and lets fly, and the shot takes a deflection, which causes it to bobble agonizingly out for a corner, as both teams can only watch helplessly as the slow-rolling, bouncing ball ends up wide of the post.

A nervy moment for Barcelona, and a bright start to the match on both ends!

7th min: Barcelona with a slick move forward on the counter. Lewandowski finds Dembele streaking down the left who beats Militao, but the Madrid defender recovers and eventually the shot is blocked. Still a solid counter from Barcelona.

5th min: Both teams with a bit of feeling out, and it's Raphinha who has the first shot of the match, from long distance slightly left of center. It's easily held by Andriy Lunin, in for the injured Thibaut Courtois.

1st min: Kickoff at the Bernabeu for El Clasico! We're under way! What a spectacle this match is.

The greatest rivalry in football. #ElClásico pic.twitter.com/3M7IiOehty

— Whistle FC (@WhistleFC) October 16, 2022

Pre-Match: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona (kickoff at 4:15pm local CEST)

5 mins to kick: Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema have played a combined 49 matches against today's opponent, with a combined 17 goals. Will either or both add to their tally?

Two strikers who love to score... ????@lewy_official X @Benzema

???? It's going to be special.#ElClásico pic.twitter.com/F14tv3O5iL

— LaLiga English (@LaLigaEN) October 16, 2022

11 mins to kick: Carlo Ancelotti has played this match down as "not life or death," knowing the season is long and this game "has come early" in the campaign. The league title cannot be won or lost in this match, but it can go a long way towards setting the tone for the coming month leading into the World Cup.

⚽️#ElClasico - @realmadrid vs @FCBarcelona is live today from 10:15 AM ET on @ESPNDeportes, with fuboTV!#RMAFCB #RealBarca pic.twitter.com/QoDpJyFfJT

— fuboTV (@fuboTV) October 16, 2022

37 mins to kick: Real Madrid fans welcome the Blancos squad to the Bernabeu.

???????? What a welcome, #Madridistas! ???????????? #ElClásico pic.twitter.com/131Du2GjMV

— Real Madrid C.F. ???????????????? (@realmadriden) October 16, 2022

51 mins to kick: Easily the most insane number from this incredible rivalry is that, through 249 matches played between these two sides, including 184 league meetings, the two teams have scored the exact same amount of goals against each other: 295. An incredible representation of the competitive nature between these two teams.

The 250th competitive edition of El Clásico is today!

Real Madrid and Barcelona have scored the same number of goals in this fixture with 295 goals apiece.#ElClásico pic.twitter.com/gz2lu05P3F

— BetVictor (@BetVictor) October 16, 2022

68 mins to kick: For a full preview of today's El Clasico, here's a betting preview from The Sporting News as we look ahead at what to expect. A rundown of who will win, who will score, how many corners, and much more! Plenty of stats and analysis ahead of today's huge match.

81 mins to kick: The Barcelona lineup is out, and the biggest news is that Gavi has been dropped to the bench, replaced by Frenkie de Jong in midfield. It's a massive opportunity for the Dutch international to prove he belongs in the lineup after being cast aside by Xavi for much of this season so far.

90 mins to kick: Xavi, who will reach 50 matches in charge of Barcelona today, has spoken pre-match about the need to "enjoy" this fixture. With Barcelona likely bounced from the Champions League after the midweek debacle against Inter, the Barcelona boss says being manager of the Catalan club is a "thankless" job, saying that "it's better to be a player. You enjoy being a player more than a coach." However, he says "this is a game to enjoy," so he wants himself and his players to get back to having fun on the pitch.

Xavi is under a lot of pressure at the moment, which seems a bit silly because his management is a big reason why the club was dragged back to winning ways after last year's catastrophic first half. Still, defeat in this match would see Xavi's job security teeter on the brink.

"Winning without playing well isn't our style!"

Barcelona coach Xavi gave his thoughts ahead of El Clásico on his side's signature playing style, insisting it is the most important thing for them... ????

????️ #LaLigaTV pic.twitter.com/haWK7tpL84

— LaLigaTV (@LaLigaTV) October 16, 2022

101 mins to kick: The Real Madrid lineup is already out, and sure enough Los Blancos are without goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, hero of the Champions League final, who is struggling with a back injury. Andriy Lunin continues in his place. Otherwise, there are few surprises. Eder Militao and David Alaba are the center-backs, with Antonio Rudiger on the bench after his bloody winner against Shakhtar Donetsk midweek.

115 mins to kick: Antonio Rudiger will be wearing a mask for this match to protect the gash that he suffered while scoring the stoppage-time equalizer in the UEFA Champions League. The club posted an inside look on social media of the immediate aftermath, showing how the medical staff handled the situation.

???? How did our medical team treat @ToniRuediger last night? pic.twitter.com/rAWTtd9CCB

— Real Madrid C.F. ???????????????? (@realmadriden) October 12, 2022

120 mins to kickoff: If you see a different logo on the front of the Barcelona kits, that's intentional. It's the owl logo of musical & recording artist Drake. Barcelona's main kit sponsor Spotify is promoting Drake's milestone of 50 billion downloads, the first artist to reach that mark on the music streaming platform.

???????????????????? ???????? #????????????????????́???????????????? ????????????! pic.twitter.com/8nsEPNiDq4

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 16, 2022

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona lineups, team news

The standard starting XI is expected for Real Madrid outside of starting goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (back issue), who misses his fifth straight match and will continue to be replaced by his backup Andriy Lunin.

Vinicius Jr and Eder Militao are expected back after being rested in midweek. Antonio Rudiger is reportedly set to start on the bench after suffering a bloody forehead gash on his stoppage-time equalizer against Shakhtar. The German international will be fitted with a custom mask to protect the wound should he enter the game.

Real Madrid starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 13-Lunin (GK) — 2-Carvajal, 3-Militao, 4-Alaba, 23-Mendy — 10-Modric, 18-Tchouameni, 8-Kroos — 15-Valverde, 9-Benzema, 20-Vinicius.

Real Madrid subs (12): 26-Lopez (GK), 30-Canizares (GK), 16-Odriozola, 17-Vazquez, 6-Nacho, 5-Vallejo, 22-Rudiger, 12-Camavinga, 11-Asensio, 7-Hazard, 21-Rodrygo, 24-Mariano.

Barcelona have some key injuries at the back: Ronald Araujo (hip) is out, as are Andreas Christensen and Hector Bellerin. But Jules Kounde has recovered from his hamstring injury and is ready to slot in at center-back in place of the struggling Gerard Pique. The talk was that left-back Alex Balde will be moved to right-back to track the speedy Vinicius Jr., although it appears that's unlikely as Sergi Roberto is in the lineup as a right-back deputy.

While pre-match reports indicated that Gavi would be moved forward into an attacking role, he instead drops to the bench instead, with Frenkie de Jong on in his place. Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha continue in their attacking roles, while fellow forward Memphis Depay will miss out due to injury.

Barcelona starting lineup (4-3-3, right to left): 1-Ter Stegen (GK) — 28-Balde, 23-Kounde, 24-Garcia, 20-Roberto — 8-Pedri, 5-Busquets, 21-De Jong — 7-Dembele, 9-Lewandowski, 22-Raphinha.

Barcelona subs (12): 26-Pena (GK), 36-Tenas (GK), 18-Alba, 3-Pique, 20-Roberto, 29-Casado, 19-Kessie, 30-Gavi, 32-Pablo Torre, 10-Fati, 11-Ferran Torres.

MORE: La Liga table & standings, with closer look at title, Champions League, and relegation battles

How to watch Real Madrid vs. Barcelona

	Date	Time	TV channel	Streaming
USA	Sun, Oct. 16	10:15 ET	ESPN Deportes	fuboTV, ESPN+
UK	Sun, Oct. 16	15:15 ET	Premier Sports 1, LaLigaTV	Premier Player
Australia	Mon, Oct. 17	01:15 AEST	—	Optus Sport
Canada	Sun, Oct. 16	10:15 ET	TSN3	TSN
India	Sun, Oct. 16	19:45 ET	Sports18	Voot Select
New Zealand	Mon, Oct. 17	03:15 NZST	Sky Sports 7 beIN Sports	beIN Sports Connect
Malaysia	Sun, Oct. 16	22:15 MT	beIN Sports	beIN Sports
Singapore	Sun, Oct. 16	22:15 SST	beIN Sports	beIN Sports, StarHub TV+

UK: Sunday's massive El Clasico tilt will be shown in the United Kingdom on Premier Sports 1 and LaLigaTV. It can also be streamed via Premier Player.

USA: The match between Real Madrid and Barcelona from the Bernabeu can be seen in the United States on ESPN Deportes, and streamed on ESPN+ along with all other La Liga matches.

ESPN Deportes is also available to stream on fuboTV, and there's a special offer $40 off on the Latino package quarterly plan through October 16, available for just $59.

Canada: The match will be broadcast in Canada on TSN3, which is also available to stream via the TSN site or app.

Australia: Australia's exclusive La Liga broadcaster is Optus Sport, who also carries the Premier League.