El Clasico set for October 26

The date and time for the first Clasico of the season between Barcelona and Real Madrid has been revealed.

Barca and Madrid meet in the 10th round of La Liga at Camp Nou on the weekend of October 27, but it has now been confirmed that the game will take place on Saturday, October 26 at 13:00 CET (midday UK time).

The fixture comes just after the third round of group games in the Champions League, with Real Madrid away to Galatasaray on Tuesday, October 22 and Barcelona in action at Slavia Prague the following night.

Players at the two clubs are known not to be fond of early kick-offs, while many fans have already expressed their disapproval of the time slot on social media amid claims that the decision has been taken in order to boost La Liga's brand in China.

The meeting will be the first since Zinedine Zidane's return to Real Madrid in March, with the return at the Santiago Bernabeu to take place on the weekend of March 1.

Barca and Madrid met four times in 2018-19, with three wins for the Catalans and a draw, including a 5-1 thrashing in La Liga at Camp Nou, which led to the dismissal of Julen Lopetegui as coach of Los Blancos.

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