Real Madrid 3 Barcelona 1 LIVE RESULT: Benzema, Valverde and Rodrygo inspire Los Blancos to El Clasico win – updates

Real Madrid 1-0 Barcelona

24. This is Xavi's 50th match as manager of Barcelona.

He's won 28 of the previous 49.

Real Madrid 1-0 Barcelona

22. Now Dembele decides to take on the Real defence.

The Frenchman gets the better of Carvajal on the left, but the cross that follows is too high for Lewandowski to even threaten.

Real Madrid 1-0 Barcelona

20. Pedri gets on the ball and begins to dictate the tempo, but the Real midfield and defence fall back into position so quickly that's there nowhere for the young star to go.

Real Madrid 1-0 Barcelona

19. Raphina flings himself to the floor, holding his face, after clashing with Mendy on the edge of the penalty area.

Replays show that the Madrid defender did nothing more than hold off his opponent as he brought the ball out to safety.

Real Madrid 1-0 Barcelona

17. The visitors have been startled by Real's fast start, and look panicked every time Kroos threatens to pull the strings in midfield.

Real Madrid 1-0 Barcelona

15. Benzema's opener is only the second goal Barcelona have conceded in LaLiga this season, and the first in seven matches.

Real Madrid 1-0 Barcelona

13. As soon as the goal went in, Barcelona manager Xavi was straight to the touchline to encourage his players to continue as they have started.

Real Madrid 0-0 Barcelona

10. Kroos goes looking for the darting run of Carvajal again, but this time it's the linesman's flag that denies the right back.

Madrid certainly see that connection as a route to getting at Barcelona.

Real Madrid 0-0 Barcelona

7. A first attempt from Madrid comes from the left boot of Vinicius Junior.

The shot takes a hefty deflection, loops up and just drops wide of the far post.

Ter Stegen was left scampering along his line.

Real Madrid 0-0 Barcelona

6. Kroos splits the Barcelona backline with a slick pass, but Balde does brilliantly to win back possession, hold off Carvajal and then clear up the touchline.

Real Madrid 0-0 Barcelona

5. A driving run from De Jong, out of the midfield, has Madrid all of a fluster.

The Dutchman nudges wide to Raphinha, who takes over and let's fly from 25 yards. It's straight at Lunin.

Real Madrid 0-0 Barcelona

3. A misjudgement from Balde allows Valverde in behind the defence, but the Barca left-back manages to get himself back in position to recover.

We may be in October, but it's an incredibly bright afternoon in the Spanish capital.

Kick-off - Real Madrid v Barcelona

1. Here we go! It's Barcelona that kick-off in the Bernabeu, and we can tell that by the chorus of whistling that greets their early possession.

It's the white of Madrid versus the blue and red of Barca, it's the 250th Clasico.

Here come the two teams!

The expectation and anticipation is huge whenever these two teams emerge in front of a packed stadium, more so when they do it alongside each other ahead of El Clasico.

Madrid's Mendy the main man

Ferland Mendy was an obvious choice for Carlo Ancelotti for today's Clasico, and it's easy to see why.

The French left-back is unbeaten in his five matches for Real Madrid against Barcelona, and, as you can see from OptaJose's tweet, only one man has a better record in the 21st century.

Perhaps in years to come it will be Ferland Mendy who is driving us mad as a co-commentator on BT Sport.

Countdown to Clasico kick-off

There are just 20 minutes until the eagerly awaited action gets underway in Madrid.

Barcelona are the LaLiga leaders going into the match, but there's barely anything to separate them from their fiercest rivals.

The Catalans top the table on goal difference only, having totalled 22 points from the opening eight games.

It's an identical record to Real, who have also won seven and drawn one of their matches so far.

However, Los Blancos have conceded seven times, leaving them with a +12 goal difference.

Barca, have conceded just once this term - a goal scored by Newcastle's Alexander Isak when he was with Real Sociedad - and boast a goal difference of +19.

Crucial Clasico for legend Xavi

Barcelona boss Xavi has vowed to walk out on the club if he believes he is not the man to take them forward.

The Barca legend has come in for criticism for the club's disappointing European campaign to date.

The Catalan giants limped to a dramatic 3-3 draw with Inter Milan in midweek, leaving their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.

But the former midfielder, who succeeded Ronaldo Koeman as boss in November last year, has bullishly defended himself going into today's crunch El Clasico clash with Real Madrid.

He said: "I think it's my way of being, I'm an optimist from birth and I believe in work and evolution."

"In LaLiga we are doing very well, we are tied and leaders in the standings. I can continue to be optimistic.

"I'm very cute and stubborn. And I'd like this to turn out well and I won't stop working and insisting on what I do.

"The day I don't see it clearly, I'm going home. The day I don't think I'm a solution, I'll go.

"I won't be a problem. But now I'm fine."

Barc-owl-ona Drake most of it

Barcelona will sport an unusual logo on their kit when they face Real Madrid in this afternoon's El Clasico.

The LaLiga giants announced a partnership with music streaming service Spotify earlier in the year.

As part of that deal, Xavi's side usually don a gold version of the Spotify logo on their kit.

However, for one match only, Barca will have an owl front and centre on their jerseys.

With the Camp Nou reportedly set to be renamed, and as Spotify are looking to take naming rights, the partnership has also allowed for a unique change of jersey sponsor.

With Drake becoming the first artist to reach 50 billion streams on Spotify, Barcelona have opted to wear his OVO owl brand on their shirts to celebrate his success.

Pique dropped to Barcelona bench

26 Pena, 3 Pique, 10 Fati, 11 Torres, 17 Alonso, 18 Alba, 19 Kessie, 30 Gavi, 32 Torre, 36 Tenas

Barca bring in De Jong

Xavi makes three changes following his side's dramatic 3-3 thriller with Inter Milan on Wednesday.

Jules Kounde returns to defence in place of the veteran Gerard Pique while Alejandro Balde is in for former Chelsea man Marcos Alonso.

In midfield, long-term Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong replaces Gavi.

Up front, Barca stick with a forward three of Raphinha, Ousmane Dembele and Robert Lewandowski.

Barcelona (4-3-3): 1 Ter Stegen; 20 Roberto, 23 Kounde, 24 Garcia, 28 Balde; 21 De Jong, 5 Busquets, 8 Pedri; 22 Raphinha, 9 Lewandowski, 7 Dembele

Hazard among Los Blancos subs

26 Luis Lopez, 30 Canizares, 5 Vallejo, 6 Nacho, 7 Hazard, 11 Asensio, 12 Camavinga, 16 Odriozola, 17 Lucas, 21 Rodrigo, 22 Rudiger, 24 Mariano

Vinicius Junior returns for Real

Carlo Ancelotti makes five changes to the side that drew with Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Former Chelsea star Antonio Rudiger is only on the bench after suffering a head injury that required 20 stitches while centre-back partner Nacho also misses out.

Eder Militao and David Alaba come into central defence while Dani Carvajal replaces Lucas Vazquez at right-back.

Luka Modric is back in midfield for Eden Hazard, and Vinicius Junior returns on the left instead of Rodrygo.

It's a 4-3-3 shape for Los Blancos, who have Andriy Lunin in goal while Thibaut Courtois is injured.

Real Madrid (4-3-3): 13 Lunin; 2 Carvajal, 3 Militao, 4 Alaba, 23 Mendy; 10 Modric, 18 Tchouameni, 8 Kroos; 15 Valverde, 9 Benzema, 20 Vinicius Junior

Little to separate two teams

These Clasico clashes are often close-fought affairs, and the bookies are struggling to separate two giants of the game once again.

Real are the favourites on the basis of home advantage, but there is little between the three possible match outcomes.

• Real Madrid win 6/5
• Draw 13/5
• Barcelona win 19/10

correct at the time of post publication.