A thumping strike from Bale deflects wide of the far post and behind for a corner. The set-piece is sent short before a cross is whipped into the box, where Semedo is just about able to get a head on the ball ahead of one of the many Madrid players camped in front of goal.
90' +4
Poor from Paulinho! Barcelona have a great opportunity to score a late winner after Madrid lose possession, but a misplaced pass from Paulinho fails to find Rakitic and hands possession back to the visitors.
90' +3
Paulinho darts into the left-hand side of the penalty area and does well to win Barcelona a corner. It's fired into the box, pinballs around and falls to Paulinho, who spins and shoots but can't make decent contact with the ball.
90' +2
Paco Alcácer enters the game and replaces L. Suárez.
Suarez receives a standing ovation from the Barcelona fans as he slowly makes his way off the pitch to be replaced by Alcacer for the final couple of minutes.
90' +1
Madrid keep piling bodies forward as they desperately try to find a way in front, but a truly terrible cross-field pass from Marcelo fails to pick out Vazquez and instead bounces out for a throw in.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time. Will either side be able to find a late winner?
88'
Suarez is able to get back to his feet and the game gets underway once again. Madrid quickly work the ball up to Asensio, who then sends a cross into the box, but he can't quite pick out a team-mate and the home side just about hold on.
86'
Suarez is down on the ground but Madrid keep pushing forward regardless. Barcelona aren't happy that they don't put the ball out of play and, when it finally does go out for a throw in, Paulinho berates a clearly bemused Vazquez.
85'
I. Rakitić gets yellow.
Rakitic is the latest player to receive a yellow card, making him the ninth to be booked this evening.
84'
M. Kovačić enters the game and replaces T. Kroos.
Madrid have made their third and final change, with Kovacic coming on to replace Kroos.
Minute
Description
83'
Chance for Messi! The Argentine sprints into the right-hand side of the Madrid penalty area and shoots from a tight angle. Navas has it covered, though, and he palms the strike behind for a corner.
81'
Madrid come back once again and manage to carve out another chance on goal, but Modric puts far too much power behind his strike from the edge of the box and sends it high over the top of the crossbar.
79'
Vazquez receives the ball out wide once again, and this time he has to settle for a corner. It's sent short and worked back to Vazquez, who shoots but has his tame effort blasted away by Pique from the middle of the penalty area.
77'
Marcelo gets yellow.
Marcelo still isn't happy with the referee for waving away his penalty protests and he's eventually booked for dissent.
76'
G. Bale gets yellow.
Bale has been diving into challenges this evening, and he's finally been shown a yellow card after sending Semedo crashing to the ground with a poor sliding tackle as the full-back breaks away.
75'
Marcelo goes down inside the box, but nothing is given! The Brazilian manages to penetrate the penalty area before being clipped by Alba, sending him down to the ground. He immediately screams for a penalty, but the referee doesn't agree and tells him to get back to his feet.
74'
Madrid patiently pass the ball around as they to try to find a way in front for the first time tonight, but Vazquez's cross from deep down the right wing is poorly hit and only finds the hands of Ter Stegen.
72'
G. Bale has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by Marco Asensio.
That was really good play by Asensio, who managed to get himself into a decent position before perfectly picking out Bale with his clever pass.
GOAL! Madrid have equalised! A smart pass from Asensio picks out Bale on the edge of the penalty area, and the Welshman quickly sends a curling strike past Ter Stegen and into the left-hand corner of the net.
70'
Excellent save by Navas! Messi breaks through the Madrid back line, latches onto a lofted pass from Suarez and takes on Navas, but it's the goalkeeper who comes out on top with a brilliant diving stop to his left.
68'
Madrid have made their second change of the night, with Nacho making way for Vazquez.
67'
Lucas Vázquez enters the game and replaces Nacho.
A looping cross is fired into the Barcelona penalty area and looks set to result in a chance on goal for Asensio, but the forward completely mishits the ball and sends it spinning behind for a goal kick.
65'
A bit of space opens up for Bale at the end of a patient piece of play from Madrid. He shoots from 25 yards out, but Umtiti is there to block the effort before it can test Ter Stegen.
63'
No, they can't. Messi steps up and shoots but sends his curling strike straight into the wall of white shirts camped on the edge of the penalty area. That wasn't one of his best.
62'
Casemiro and Nacho come together to halt Messi's run by tripping him to the ground, resulting in a free kick for Barcelona in a very dangerous position. Will they be able to make it count?
60'
Ouch! Semedo breaks into the right-hand side of the Madrid box and quickly fizzes a pass across the face of goal. Paulinho goes close to meeting it but instead catches Navas in the stomach as he stretches for the ball. The goalkeeper should be able to continue, though.
58'
Paulinho enters the game and replaces Andrés Iniesta.
Iniesta receives a rousing round of applause from the home fans as he makes his way off to be replaced by Paulinho. That should be the last ever Clasico appearance for the world class midfielder.
56'
Madrid are able to push forward on their first attacking move since going behind, but Nacho's cross from the right flank is sent too near to Ter Stegen and is easily collected by the goalkeeper.
54'
Barcelona have the ball in the back of the net once again, but it won't count! Rakitic fires a low cross into the middle of the box that Navas can only parry out to Suarez. The Uruguayan then quickly finds the back of the net, but the linesman's flag is already up and it won't count.
52'
L. Messi has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by L. Suárez.
Suarez showed great grit and determination to get the better of Varane but did he foul the Frenchman during the build-up? The Madrid players certainly think so, and they're now at all happy with the referee for allowing play to go on.
GOAL! Barcelona are back in front! Suarez does really well to muscle his way down the left wing and towards the Madrid penalty area. He then sends a pass over to Messi, who cuts onto his left foot and sends an excellent strike straight past Navas.
51'
Semedo is dispossessed inside the Madrid half of the pitch and Madrid quickly hit them on a counter-attack. A lovely pass from Modric sets up Asensio to break towards the box and shoot, but his effort is sent straight into the hands of Ter Stegen.
49'
Benzema and Marcelo link up nicely as Madrid push forward once again, but the Brazilian can't quite pick out a team-mate in front of goal with his cut-back and has his pass intercepted by Busquets.
47'
Madrid quickly push forward and are able to carve out a chance on goal, but Marcelo, who finds himself on the edge of the penalty area, ends up sending his strike over the crossbar when put under pressure by Pique.
46'
Marco Asensio enters the game and replaces Cristiano Ronaldo.
Nélson Semedo enters the game and replaces Philippe Coutinho.
Barcelona have understandably made a defensive substitution, with Coutinho making way for Semedo.
Meanwhile, Asensio has come on to take the place of Ronaldo, who hasn't been an able to fully recover from his earlier knock.
We're underway once again!
45' +3
Sergi Roberto goes off after a red card!
RED CARD! Barcelona are down to 10 men! Roberto and Marcelo tangle on the edge of the Barcelona box, resulting in the Barcelona full-back lashing out at the Brazilian. Marcelo immediately drops to the floor, and the referee quickly rushes over to show Roberto a straight red card.
45' +2
Umtiti is the latest player to find himself on the receiving end of a meaty challenge, this time from Bale. The Welshman's attempted tackle was a really nasty one, and he was lucky not to receive a card for it.
45'
L. Messi gets yellow.
Ouch! Messi clearly isn't happy with Ramos' behaviour, and he catches the Madrid defender with a late sliding challenge deep inside the visitors' half of the pitch. Once again, the referee reaches for his yellow card.
The fourth official has indicated that there will be two minutes of added time.
44'
Sergio Ramos gets yellow.
L. Suárez gets yellow.
Ramos is eventually shown a yellow card after receiving a stern talking to from the referee.
And Suarez is also booked for his part in the fracas.
43'
It's all kicking off! Ramos charges into Suarez and catches the Uruguayan in the chest with his elbow, resulting in the Barcelona striker reacting angrily. The two players square up to each other before several others get involved in a shoving match that the referee does well to bring to an end.
42'
Excellent goalkeeping by Navas! Coutinho, who hasn't been involved in the game as much as he would like, sends a clever pass into the penalty area and picks out Messi, who attempts to skip round Navas but has the ball palmed away from him as he tries to do so.
40'
Space opens up for Benzema, allowing him to break into the left-hand side of the box at the end of another good counter-attack. He cuts onto his right foot and shoots, but he can't quite find the far corner and sends his effort wide of the goal.
39'
Chance for Ronaldo! Another cross is whipped into the Barcelona penalty area, and this time it manages to pick out Ronaldo. The Portuguese can't quite hit the target, however, as his looping header ends up landing on the roof of the net.
38'
Marcelo does well over on the left wing once again before sending another cross into the home side's box, but, despite his best efforts, Ronaldo fails to reach the ball and Barcelona hold on.
36'
What a chance for Umtiti! Iniesta is scythed down by Bale, presenting Barcelona with a good opportunity to launch the ball into the penalty area. It's fired in by Messi and finds Umtiti, but the centre-back blasts his close-range half-volley wide of the goal before the linesman's flag is raised.
34'
Marcelo does really well to get the better of Pique over on the left-hand side of the Barcelona box before chipping a cross towards the far post. It's slightly overhit, though, and Ronaldo can't quite get his head on the ball.
32'
There's a bit of an off the ball coming together between Alba and Modric, but it thankfully quickly comes to an end. Alba is lucky the referee wasn't watching, as he seemed to raise his hands to Modric's throat as they argued. In the end, both are given a stern talking to before play resumes.
31'
R. Varane gets yellow.
Varane is beaten by Suarez on the halfway line and immediately drags him to the ground, resulting in the referee reaching for his yellow card for the second time tonight.
30'
Iniesta picks up the ball midway inside the Madrid half of the pitch and quickly sends a clever pass into the Madrid box, where Bale does well to clear it behind for a corner. It's sent short to Coutinho, who crosses but fails to find a team-mate in front of goal.
28'
Another excellent chance for Ronaldo! Space opens up for the Madrid forward, this time over on the left-hand side of the hosts' penalty area, but he ends up pulling his strike narrowly wide of the far post. That didn't miss by much!
27'
Great save by Ter Stegen! The Barcelona defenders completely fall asleep, allowing Ronaldo to burst into the penalty area and shoot. He can't get the better of Ter Stegen, however, as the goalkeeper immediately rushes out to smother the effort.
26'
Marcelo and Benzema link up well deep down the left wing, setting up the Frenchman to cut inside and poke a pass back to Kroos. The midfielder then shoots, but his strike is a rushed one and fails to trouble Ter Stegen.
24'
Madrid push forward once again after winning the ball back. Nacho whips a clever cross into the Barcelona box and straight to Ronaldo, but the Portuguese can't guide his headed effort on target and sends it safely over the crossbar.
23'
Busquets is bullied off the ball once again, allowing Madrid to quickly counter-attack. They can't make the opportunity count, though, as Benzema's pass over to Marcelo is poor and rolls out of play for a throw in.
21'
Barcelona patiently work the ball around inside the visitors' half of the pitch before Iniesta pokes the ball back to Busquets, who doesn't see Benzema coming from behind and is dispossessed by a clever interception from the striker.
19'
Almost a great chance for Alba! Messi picks up the ball midway inside the Madrid half of the pitch and immediately sends an excellent lofted pass over to the far post. Alba darts into the box to meet it but can't quite make decent enough contact with the ball to test Navas.
18'
A Barcelona free kick is taken quickly and worked over to Suarez. He then tries to pick out Messi with a poked pass towards the edge of the penalty area, but it's overhit and can only find a white shirt.
16'
Ronaldo seemed to receive a slight knock from Pique as he stretched for the ball during the build-up, and it's left him in quite a lot of discomfort. Zidane has a slightly worried look on his face, but it looks as if the Portuguese is going to be able to continue for the time being.
14'
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a goal for Real Madrid! Assist by K. Benzema.
GOAL! Madrid have equalised! Ronaldo breaks into the Barcelona penalty as Madrid quickly counter-attack. He then tees up Kroos to cross to Benzema, who nods the ball back down to Ronaldo and sets up the Portuguese to poke the ball into the back of the net from close range.
That was clever play by Benzema, who could have gone for goal himself but instead decided to selflessly knock it down to Ronaldo instead.
13'
Suarez goes down inside the penalty area, but nothing is given! Roberto penetrates the right-hand side of the box and heads towards the byline before cutting a clever pass back to Suarez. The striker tries to shoot but instead goes down after tangling with Navas, but the referee doesn't believe enough contact was made and tells him to get back to his feet.
12'
Nacho gets yellow.
Nacho flies into the back of Suarez and sends the Uruguayan crashing to the ground, leaving the referee with no choice but to show him the first yellow card of the game.
10'
L. Suárez has scored a goal for Barcelona! Assist by Sergi Roberto.
Madrid really should have done a lot better defensively, but take nothing away from Roberto. The full-back did brilliantly to get the better of Marcelo before putting the ball on a plate for Suarez.
GOAL! Barcelona have taken an early lead! Roberto is left in acres of space over on the right flank, allowing him to sprint deep into the Madrid half of the pitch. He then sends an excellent cross over to Suarez, who quickly beats Navas with a brilliant first-time finish.
9'
Rakitic spots a run forward from Messi and manages to pick out the Argentine with a clever pass through the Madrid back line, but Messi is just a few inches offside and isn't quite able to get a shot away.
8'
Messi and Marcelo battle for the ball in the middle of the pitch, and it's the latter who comes away with a free kick after being caught by a flailing arm. It's taken quickly and worked over to Bale, who tries to pick out Ronaldo but can't get the better of Pique.
6'
Ronaldo thinks he's through on goal after sprinting past Roberto and into the penalty area, but the linesman doesn't agree and raises his flag just as the Portuguese is about to pull the trigger.
4'
Huge chance for Suarez! Messi knocks a lovely pass into the box and straight to Suarez, who immediately shoots but has his first-time effort deflected behind by the outstretched leg of Varane.
3'
After an even start to the game, it's Barcelona who push forward on the first attack of the evening. Iniesta and Alba almost manage to pull off a clever one-two on the left-hand side of the Madrid box, but Nacho is there to make sure the full-back can't take on Navas.
1'
We're off! It's Madrid who get us underway.
Good evening and welcome to our live coverage of today’s LaLiga game between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou.
Barcelona may have wrapped up the league title with a 4-2 win against Deportivo La Coruna last weekend but there’s still work left them for them to do, starting with tonight’s clash against their bitter rivals. Never before has a LaLiga team gone unbeaten for the whole season, and the Blaugrana will be aiming to move one step closer to making that a reality with the sweetest of victories this evening.
On reflection, it’s been a rather comfortable domestic campaign for Barcelona, who, thanks to Madrid’s struggles, were in control for most of the season. Their disastrous Champions League exit at the hands of Roma will hurt for quite some time, though, and it’ll surely give them extra motivation heading into a tie that they’d desperately like to win in front of their own fans.
While Madrid were poor in LaLiga, they have been excellent in the Champions League, and a third consecutive final appearance has handed Zinedine Zidane the chance to break another European record. That all comes later, though, as Atletico Madrid’s earlier defeat against Espanyol has handed them the opportunity to move to within one point of their local rivals in the fight for second place.
It’s a battle that looks set to go right to the wire, as Madrid still have a game in hand over Los Rojiblancos. Domestically, it’s been a season for forget for Zidane’s side, but a record-denying win over Barcelona, and a second-place finish ahead of Atletico, would definitely give the fans something to smile about. It’s certainly going to be tough tonight, and they’ll have to be at their absolute best if they’re to leave victorious.
There’s just over 15 minutes left to go until kick-off, so let’s have a look at how the two teams will be lining up this evening…
Barcelona XI (4-4-2): Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti, Jordi Alba; Philippe Coutinho, Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets, Andres Iniesta; Lionel Messi, Luis Saurez.
Real Madrid substitutes: Kiko Casilla, Jesus Vallejo, Theo Hernandez, Dani Ceballos, Mateo Kovacic, Lucas Vazquez, Marco Asensio.
Real Madrid XI (4-3-3): Keylor Navas; Nacho, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Luka Modric, Casemiro, Toni Kroos; Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Barcelona substitutes: Jasper Cillessen, Nelson Semedo, Thomas Vermaelen, Denis Suarez, Paulinho, Ousmane Dembele, Paco Alcacer.
Ernesto Valverde has decided to make two changes to the Barcelona side that started the win against Deportivo, with Roberto and Iniesta coming into the starting line-up to replace Semedo and Dembele, respectively.
Meanwhile, Madrid boss Zidane has made three alterations to the team that featured in their last outing, with Vazquez, Kovacic and Asensio making way for Nacho, Casemiro and Bale.
Whatever happens tonight, all eyes will understandably be on Messi and Ronaldo. The Argentine is the all-time top scorer in El Clasico with 25 goals, while the Portuguese could equal Alfredo Di Stefano as Madrid's highest goalscorer in El Clasico if he’s able to find the back of the net at least once.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off. The atmosphere inside the stadium is electric, with the home fans in fine voice.
HALF-TIME: BARCELONA 1-1 REAL MADRID
Well, what an end to the first half that was! Some people were worried this evening's Clasico would prove to be a tame affair but that hasn't proved to be the case at all. Ramos' elbow on Suarez was the catalyst for an absolute meltdown, and it ended with Roberto seeing red for what looked to be a hand to Marcelo's face. Barcelona are a man down and are now in real danger of being beaten for the first time this season.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.
FULL-TIME: BARCELONA 2-2 REAL MADRID
The referee blows his whistle for the final time and brings an end to yet another fascinating instalment of El Clasico. Under the circumstances, Barcelona will certainly be happy with the point, as it preserves their unbeaten record in LaLiga. They were arguably the better of the two sides for much of the second half but were pegged back by an excellent strike from Bale, forcing them into sharing the points with their bitter rivals.
The draw isn't a terrible one for Madrid, who are still in with a great chance of moving equal on points with Atletico in the race for second place. They'll do so if they beat Sevilla in their next game, setting the two sides up for a battle that looks as if it's going to go right to the wire.
Commentary
More…