Barcelona and Real Madrid have agreed a new date of December 18 for the Clasico after Spain’s biggest football match was postponed yesterday due to protests in Catalonia. The fixture was set to be Barcelona’s first home game since nine pro-Catalan independence leaders were sentenced to imprisonment on Monday for their role in the illegal referendum in 2017.
Barca and Madrid swiftly came to an agreement, hours after the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) announced they had until 10am on Monday to find a revised date for the game. All that remains is for the RFEF to confirm the change with La Liga, although the league would prefer the match take place on December 7.
December 7 is a Saturday and has more potential for broadcasters but it would require moving both Barcelona against Real Mallorca and Madrid against Espanyol. December 18 is a Wednesday and would clash with the Copa del Rey but neither Barca nor Madrid will be involved at that stage of Spain’s domestic cup competition.
In a statement yesterday, Barcelona stressed their belief that the original fixture, scheduled for October 26 at Camp Nou, should have gone ahead. “The club’s desire was to play the Clasico at Camp Nou on the 26th, the date and time previously agreed and the Committee was informed of this in writing,” read the Barcelona statement.
“The club has the utmost confidence in the peaceful behaviour of its members and fans who always express themselves in exemplary fashion at Camp Nou. Nevertheless, having received the decision of the RFEF Competition Committee to postpone the game citing ‘exceptional circumstances’ and given that it falls to the clubs to agree a new date for the game before Monday, the club will propose December 18.”
Real Madrid later added: “Real Madrid wishes to communicate that the date proposed by both clubs is the 18th of December.” Barcelona added the club “regrets the inconvenience” caused to fans and will refund those that had bought tickets for the original fixture.
The imprisonment of pro-independence leaders has sparked violent demonstrations across the city and there were fears protesters would use the match against Madrid to stage further acts of unrest. Barcelona’s football club is regarded as a symbol of Catalanism and had responded on Monday with a statement insisting “prison sentences are not the solution”. La Liga then proposed to the RFEF the venue of the Clasico be changed from Camp Nou to Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu but both clubs opposed the switch.
Instead, it has been decided a change of date is necessary due to what the RFEF described as “exceptional circumstances”. “The RFEF agrees to dismiss the request made by La Liga in relation to reversing the order of the matches played between Barcelona and Real Madrid,” an RFEF statement read earlier .
“FC Barcelona and Real Madrid must agree on the new date of the meeting before October 21. In case of not reaching an agreement, the Competition Committee will be responsible for determining the date of the meeting.”
After the Catalan independence referendum in 2017, Barcelona played a league match against Las Palmas behind closed doors in protest, after their request for a postponement was rejected. Barca play away at Eibar in La Liga today and planned to make the 589-kilometre journey by bus to avoid demonstrations at El Prat airport. Real Madrid also play today, away at Real Mallorca.
Modric and Bale to miss
Madrid trip to Mallorca
Real will be without both Gareth Bale and Luka Modric for the against Real Mallorca, Zinedine Zidane confirmed. Modric and Bale both picked up injuries during the Euro 2020 qualifier between Croatia and Wales on Sunday, which finished 1-1. Wales coach Ryan Giggs suggested after the match that Bale was suffering with cramp in his calf but the forward has not trained with the rest of the Madrid squad this week. Madrid meanwhile confirmed on Wednesday that Modric is recovering from heavy bruising in his right thigh. “Modric is not fit for tomorrow,” said Zidane. “Bale is not going to be with us, neither Kroos nor Lucas Vazquez. We have to accept it. There are other players.”
Kroos injured his foot playing for Madrid against Granada before the international break while Vazquez has a calf problem. Madrid sit top of La Liga, two points above Barcelona, and remain the only unbeaten team in the division.
Meanwhile, Samuel Umtiti is fit again after five weeks out with a foot injury, Barcelona announced. Umtiti is available for Eibar match although he faces a fight to win back his place alongside Gerard Pique in central defence.
The 25-year-old has seen his spot taken by Clement Lenglet for both Barcelona and France following an injury-ravaged 12 months. Before his latest foot problem, Umtiti sustained an injury to his left knee last year and suffered a relapse in November. He returned in February and made seven appearances in the second half of last season but is yet to appear for his club this term. Barcelona said left-back Junior Firpo is also fit again after he recovered from a hamstring strain.
Barca will be chasing a fifth consecutive victory against Eibar after their stumbling start to the season. Their upturn has coincided with Lionel Messi’s comeback, the fit-again Argentinian superstar scoring his first of the campaign in a 4-0 win over Sevilla last time out. Messi’s availability also increases the pressure for places up front although Antoine Griezmann’s omission against Sevilla is likely to prove a one-off for now, given Ousmane Dembele, having just returned from injury, is suspended. Dembele is likely to come in for the visit to Slavia Prague in the Champions League on Wednesday, with Barcelona tied with Borussia Dortmund in their group.
Atletico Madrid play Bayer Leverkusen at home and while Diego Simeone’s side may not have a Clasico looming, they could also be on the move after La Liga asked the Spanish Football Federaion (RFEF) to allow their game against Villarreal on December 6 to played in Miami.
La Liga unsuccessfully attempted to stage Barcelona’s game against Girona in Miami last season. Atletico face three tough home games next, starting on Saturday against Valencia before entertaining Athletic Bilbao next weekend, with Leverkusen in between.
Fixtures (GMT)
Today: Eibar v Barcelona (1100),
Atletico Madrid v Valencia (1400),
Getafe v Leganes (1630), Mallorca v
Real Madrid (1900)
Tomorrow: Alaves v Celta Vigo (1000), Real Sociedad v Real Betis (1200),
Espanyol v Villarreal (1400), Athletic Bilbao v Real Valladolid (1630), Sevilla v Levante (1900)
Barcelona fans hold up banners demanding freedom during the La Liga match between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona in this file photo taken on October 28, 2018. (Reuters)
