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On Sunday, Real Madrid will host Barcelona for the first El Clasico of the season, one of the most anticipated and dramatic clashes in the world. Both sides have started off strongly, as the team now coached by Xabi Alonso is leading the LaLiga standings with a two-point margin on Barcelona. In the summer of 2025, while Hansi Flick's side focused on refining the squad already at their disposal, Real Madrid underwent major changes, starting with the appointment of Alonso, who replaced Carlo Ancelotti before the 2025 Club World Cup. Let's take a look at the summer signings for both teams and assess how they've performed so far:

How to watch Real Madrid vs. Barcelona, odds

  • Date: Sunday, Oct. 26 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • Location: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu -- Madrid, Spain 
  • Live stream: ESPN+
  • Odds: Real Madrid +101; Draw +303; Barcelona +216

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Real Madrid 

When Real Madrid signed Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool ahead of the Club World Cup this summer, the general idea was that Xabi Alonso could count on an experienced player for key matches. However, it turned out that this isn't the case, at least for now. The Real Madrid defender had to face a muscular injury that is preventing him from playing since Sept. 16, and the coach is currently opting to play Federico Valverde when Dani Carvajal is not available, and so far only lost the Madrid Derby against Atletico without the former Liverpool star. Grade: C-

Alvaro Carreras, Real Madrid

When Real Madrid signed Alvaro Carreras from Benfica this summer for $50 million, there was some skepticism around what he could bring in the short term to this club, but he immediately proved all wrong. Carreras is the kind of player who Real Madrid needed, a left-back who played 11 matches so far between all the competitions, and proved to be consistent and solid defensively in each game. Grade: B

Dean Huijsen, Real Madrid

The former Juventus defender immediately showed his value since he joined this summer from Bournemouth, when Real Madrid paid around $60 million to sign him. Despite the recent injury, he already showed to be one of the best defenders on the roster, and he's regularly in the starting 11. He can only improve playing alongside his teammates at this loaded club. Grade: A-

Franco Mastantuono, Real Madrid 

Franco Mastantuono joined this summer from River Plate for around $40 million, and he's considered one of the top talents in world soccer. He has already shown it at his new club, considering he played 11 matches, scored one goal and provided one assist so far. Of course, there is plenty of room for improvement, but the start has been promising. Alonso knows really well that he needs the time to improve and adapt to a new country, league and team where the pressure will be on him on a daily basis. Grade: A-

Marcus Rashford, Barcelona 

The big surprise of this 2025-26 season. Let's be honest, expectations were low when this move happened, but the English striker has proven to be exactly what this team needed since joining on loan from Manchester United. With five goals and six assists in 12 appearances under Hansi Flick, including two braces against Newcastle and Olympiacos in the opening three Champions League matches, he might have finally found the perfect place to shine. Grade: A

Joan Garcia, Barcelona

Barcelona had a quiet, slow summer but decided to invest big in the new goalkeeper and signed Joan Garcia from Espanyol for around $25 million. Flick immediately decided to consider him as the starting goalkeeper for the Blaugrana, but a knee injury forced him out and brought back Wojciech Szczęsny in the starting lineup, while Marc ter Stegen is also recovering from a back injury. Potentially, it was a good signing, at least for what we saw in the seven matches he played so far, but we need to wait for his comeback to see more. Grade: B

Roony Bardghji, Barcelona 

The signing of Roony Bardghji was a mystery for many this summer, but he's slowly turning out to be an important resource for Flick, who already made him play six matches, including the last one against Olympiacos, when he provided his first assist on the last goal scored by Fermin Lopez. There's no doubt about his potential; the only question is when he'll get more playing time to showcase his qualities, as he did in the last home European match. Grade: B