Real Madrid vs Barcelona LIVE updates: Suarez strikes to give Barca vital El Clasico lead

REAL MADRID 0-2 BARCELONA: EL CLASICO LIVE UPDATES

68min: Marco Asensio and Gareth Bale being readied.

But it may be too little too late.

Barcelona fans can still be heard celebrating Messi’s penalty.

65min: So Real are two down and…bring on a defender?

Off comes Benzema and on comes Nacho.

Boos ring out. Strange decision from Zinedine Zidane.

64min: GOAL! REAL MADRID 0-2 BARCELONA

Lionel Messi blasts past Keylor Navas.

And that is surely that for Real’s title hopes. A chastening afternoon that could get worse.

62min: PENALTY TO BARCELONA.

Dani Carvajal denies Paulinho with his hand and receives a straight red.

61min: Paulinho shoots straight at Navas.

Barcelona still looking the likelier side to score.

58min: Sergio Ramos picks up his annual Clasico yellow card.

Real could really do with him not making it a red today.

57min: CHANCE!

Barcelona break again with Messi playing Suarez through.

However, the striker slices his shot from a tight angle.

56min: Suarez is angering the Real Madrid fans now.

The Barcelona man makes a meal out of a clash with Casemiro.

The Bernabeu, it is fair to say, did not react well.

54min: GOAL! REAL MADRID 0-1 BARCELONA

It’s brilliant from the visitors and the Bernabeu is silenced.

Barcelona hit Real on the break with Luis Suarez slotting home after a nice pass from Sergi Roberto.

The goal that all but wins Ernesto Valverde’s side the title?

50min: Karim Benzema nearly sets Ronaldo away but Barcelona snuff out the attack.

At the other end, Navas gets down low to deny Suarez.

49min: Paulinho got alot of stick when he signed for Barcelona in the summer.

But the Brazilian looks a completely different player to the one who struggled so badly at Tottenham.

He’s been arguably the best player in a blue and red shirt this afternoon.

47min: Nervy from Keylor Navas as he goes to clear the ball.

He gives it to Sergio Busquets but the Barcelona attack comes to nothing.

46min: We’re back underway!

HT: Real Madrid players deep in chat in the tunnel.

They know this is a big 45 minutes coming up.

Season-defining in fact. And possible job-defining for Zinedine Zidane?

HT: I don’t expect this game to end goalless.

The last scoreless contest between the two sides came way back in 2002.

HT: 15 minutes for both teams to catch a breather.

Real have more options on the bench with Gareth Bale, Isco and Marco Asensio waiting for their chance to shine.

Barcelona, meanwhile, need Lionel Messi to step it up if they are to finish the game unscathed.

REAL MADRID 0-0 BARCELONA HT

46min: Half time whistle goes at the Bernabeu.

Nothing between the teams so far.

Ronaldo has had one goal disallowed and nearly got on the scoresheet – only to miskick.

This suits Barcelona who, as it stands, remain 11 points above their fierce rivals.

44min: One minute to go.

Fascinating stuff from both teams so far but neither able to break the deadlock.

42min: Another big chance for the home side.

Marcelo puts in a stunning cross and Benzema’s header licks the post.

Close.

40min: Good from Real.

Los Blancos break with speed but, ultimately, Luka Modric fires wide.

39min: Keylor Navas to the rescue!

We wanted to see more of Messi and the Barcelona man’s ball finds Paulinho.

Navas’ acrobatics deny the Brazilian, whose header is well-saved.

37min: Eight minutes to go until half time.

Barcelona have been happy to sit back and let Real have the ball.

Los Blancos, as of yet, have been unable to make their dominance count.

36min: Ronaldo vs Messi watch.

The Real Madrid star has looked brighter, missing one key chance and having a goal disallowed.

Messi, contrastingly, has been stifled by Kovacic. Still plenty of time for the Barcelona man to make his mark, however.

33min: A few half and half scarves on sale apparantly.

Somehow, I don’t think season ticket holders of the two teams will be wearing them.

Still goalless as the interval edges closer.

30min: TWO STUNNING SAVES

Paulinho volleys at goal and Keylor Navas produces a stunning stop.

And then, at the other end, Cristiano Ronaldo is denied by Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.

29min: Sergio Ramos has just clattered Paulinho.

No booking yet, but I’d bet all my Christmas presents the Spain international will end up booked today.

27min: Gone a bit quiet at the Bernabeu, which will suit Barcelona.

A win for them today would see them move 14 points clear of Real at the top.

And that, surely, would be too much for Zinedine Zidane’s side.

24min: Nope. Ronaldo clears from Messi’s corner. 

23min: Barcelona get their first corner. A chance to test Keylor Navas?

20min: It’s hard to criticise the best player in the world.

But Ronaldo can be a selfish player sometimes can’t he?

The Real Madrid star has options in the box but opted to shoot…despite Barcelona having men back.

19min: Sergio Ramos has had a quiet game so far.

But expect him to be carded at some point.

The Real Madrid defender has seen red in three of his last seven Clasico appearances.

18min: First glimpse of Barcelona attacking.

Paulinho makes it to the byline but his pass is cleared by Raphael Varane.

Real go up the pitch and Thomas Vermaelen is booked for a foul on Luka Modric.

16min: So we’ve had 16 minutes so far.

Ronaldo’s miss the biggest chance but Real Madrid looking the better team.

13min: That Ronaldo miss was pretty bad.

And before today’s game Sky Sports’ Guillem Balague labelled him as ‘the worst striker in the world’.

“You can say that he’s the worst striker in Europe,” he said.

“But he’s scored five goals in his last four games, so he is coming back.”

10min: Chance for Ronaldo.

The ball is cut back to him and the 32-year-old completely misses the ball.

Ballon d’Or? You’re having a laugh…

8min: Plenty of boos for Gerard Pique from the Real Madrid fans today.

The Barcelona man is hardly the most popular figure at the Bernabeu.

5min: Real have started the brighter of the two teams.

Messi attempts to break for Barcelona but is snuffed out by Kovacic.

4min: Real have not had the so-called BBC available in La Liga since the Clasico last year.

Bale is on the bench so they could be reunited later today.

Real have started brightly with Ronaldo looking sharp already. Los Blancos need this.

2min: Goal disallowed!

Ronaldo heads the ball past Ter Stegen but it’s correctly disallowed for offside.

An early warning for Barcelona.

12:00: AND we’re OFF!

11:59: One minute now…

11:55: We are five minutes away from kick off.

11:51: Former Real Madrid chief Ramon Calderon does not, however, think Zinedine Zidane will be sacked with a Barcelona defeat.

“Every coach is under pressure here on this bench. Only one coach in 48 years has been more than three years on that bench,” said Calderon.

“I hope not. He did a fantastic job in the last two years with two Champions Leagues in a row, something nobody did before.

“But it’s true this club is very special, very difficult if the team doesn’t win the titles and matches fans expect to.

“It’s too early, I don’t think the pressure will decide that now.”

11:50: The importance of today’s game has not been lost on former Real Madrid chief Ramon Calderon.

“It’s no doubt one of the most important [Clasicos of recent years],” he said.

“It’s more important for us than Barcelona. If they get a positive result, it will be really difficult to catch them.

“It’s one of the best matches that can be watched in the world, with 22 incredible players and the top two among them. There’s a lot of excitement and passion from the stands with hundreds of millions watching around the world. It’s impossible to get more ingredients in a sports event.”

11:40: Matteo Kovacic has been given the nod for Real Madrid against Barcelona today.

And Sky Sports’ Guillem Balague thinks the Croatian has been picked to combat Lionel Messi.

“It’s an interesting conclusion to the game that took place in the Super Cup, in which Kovacic actually man-marked Leo Messi,” Balague said.

“For many many years we hear from coaches that that doesn’t make any sense, but actually he stopped Messi. 

“But it was a Messi just off the summer, with a longer holiday than everybody else and basically in a competition that is less in competition. 

“So he’s actually taking this decision as if it’s a ‘final’ for Real Madrid. 

“The thing to say about Real Madrid, they haven’t lost a final since 2000. 

“So when it’s a final, they tend to come up better than the rest of the days.”

11:33: Journalist Julian Laurens cannot see Real Madrid losing this afternoon.

“Real Madrid made history after two Champions Leagues in a row,” he said.

“They won five trophies in a calendar year, which nobody had ever done. Well done to them.

“Now they’ve got their biggest game of the season – much bigger than Gremio or Al Jazira [in the Club World Cup]. El Clasico is huge because since 2012-13, they were never so many points behind Barcelona coming into this game, 11 points now. It was 16 then.

“It’s a huge game for them. They look better, they played better. They’re on a good run now and need to show it on Saturday.

“I think it will be a draw, I don’t think Real Madrid will lose at home.”

11:31: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi will take centre stage today.

But who has scored more goals this season? And who has more assists?

Click here to find out.

11:30: So Neymar left Barcelona in the summer and is being heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid.

So who is the PSG star supporting today? 

Well…nobody apparantly.

“Now I’m only interested in PSG and I won’t watch it,” he said.

That’s that then.

11:25: One team firmly still in the La Liga title race is Atletico Madrid.

And former striker Diego Forlan wants Real Madrid and Barcelona to draw today.

“Hopefully Real Madrid win El Clasico as this would help Atletico move closer to the top of the table,” Forlan told Cadena Cope.

“My intention is to someday return to Atletico with a future project; that would be a dream for me.

“Griezmann’s future? No Atleti fan wants him to leave, and I am no different!”

11:16: Ernesto Valverde feels Barcelona are under pressure going into today’s clash.

“No, we’re both under pressure for this game,” he said on Friday. 

“By pressure, I mean because of what the game means. I don’t think it’s a decisive factor the fact that [Madrid] are further behind and have to win.

“There are enough other factors surrounding this game for there to be as much pressure for both sides.”

11:12: Speaking before today’s game, Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane urged his side to forget Barcelona’s 11-point lead at the top.

“We aren’t nervous. We have to think about playing a good match, not if we are 11, or eight, or 25 points behind,” Zidane said.

“We are going to have to play a good match against a very good rival.”

11:11: Both teams have gone strong for today’s game.

Real Madrid team: Navas, Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Kroos, Modric, Casemiro, Kovacic, Ronaldo, Benzema.

Subs: Casilla, Nacho, Bale, Hernandez, Vazquez, Asensio, Isco.

Barcelona team: Ter Stegen, Roberto, Pique, Vermaelen, Alba, Iniesta, Busquets, Rakitic, Paulinho, Suarez, Messi.

Subs: Cillessen, N.Semedo, Denis Suárez, Mascherano, Digne, Andre Gomes, Aleix Vidal

11:10: Good morning and welcome to Express Sport’s LIVE El Clasico Real Madrid v Barcelona blog.

The two teams go up against each other today knowing a win for either will have huge consequences in the race for the La Liga title.

Barcelona sit 11 points clear of Real Madrid and travel to the Bernabeu aiming to put Los Blancos to the sword.

But, should Real claim a huge three points, it will boost their chances of retaining the title won back in May.

So stay tuned as the two teams prepare to do battle.