Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid: El Clasico as it happened

There are 10 games of the season remaining, but Barcelona have taken a step closer to regaining the La Liga crown. Luis Suarez's second half winner sees Luis Enrique's side move four points clear of Real Madrid, whose current malaise will continue for another week at least.

FULL TIME:

Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid

Suarez has the chance to play in Alba again but his rather lazy pass is intercepted by Varane. Real Madrid need to get the ball upfield quickly, but they look a bit knackered now.

Three minutes of time added on.

Real Madrid have two minutes left of this game to find an equaliser plus injury time.

Lucas Silva enters the fray, replacing the slightly weary-looking Modric.

Casillas to the rescue again! Real are on the ropes at the minute, with Alba cutting a precise ball back to Messi inside the left of the box. He drills one towards the bottom corner but the goalkeeper is equal to it again.

Barcelona nearly in for a third. Jordi Alba plays the ball infield to Messi and continues his run into the box, where he is brilliantly found by Messi. The full back pokes an effort on goal but Casillas is out and makes a vital save.

Suarez turns Carvajal inside out cutting in from the left, feinting left and then right to nip inside the Spaniard and drive one across goal that is a yard wide of the far post.

Another Barcelona change, Andreas Iniesta departs for Xavi, who comes into his 42nd Clasico, and what will probably be his last.

A change for Real too, as Jese comes on for Isco.

Good save from Bravo! Benzema cuts in on his right foot and smashes a shot on goal that deflects of Pique and Mascherano, forcing the Barcelona goalkeeper to leap across to his left to palm away.

Another escape for Real Madrid, Messi and Suarez combine brilliantly again and space opens up for the Argentine to cut in from the left. He looks to curl one into the far corner but an excellent block from Ramos saves Real.

Rakitic's evening is over, he is replaced by Sergio Busquets.

Oh Neymar. Brilliant interplay from Barcelona as Suarez lays the ball off for the advancing Messi who drives into the box before sliding a ball into Neymar. The Brazilian gets it horribly wrong, however, and shanks a woeful effort well wide.

So close from Messi! The Barcelona no. 10 drives forward menacingly from the right and curls a wonderful effort with his left foot towards the top corner that veers just wide.

Raphael Varane comes onto replace Pepe.

Alves is the next one in the book after stepping right across Isco who was threatening to break away from him.

Mathieu leans on Benzema and Real have a free kick. Ronaldo eyes it up from 40 yards out but instead clips one into the box that is headed clear by Pique.

Neymar embarks on a brilliant run from the half way line, dancing past Pepe and cutting across Ramos before firing a wild effort over the bar. He had Suarez for company there, offering an option he should have taken.

A Real Madrid attack breaks down and Mascherano can mop up, launching an ambitious ball forward for Neymar to chase. Carvajal makes the slightest contact with the Brazilian who takes another step before tumbling. Neymar wants the ref to take action, but is instead told to get up.

Make that 10, Iniesta is next in the book after a late challenge on Carvajal.

Now Isco is booked for clipping Neymar. That's the ninth of the game and it's all getting a bit silly.

Ronaldo jinks past Mascherano but is cynically knocked down by the Argentine. There is the slightest coming together between the two while Ronaldo is grounded and Mascherano instantly hits the deck, looking to try and Ronaldo shown a second yellow card. The ref isn't buying it however, and books the Barca man.

Moments later Ramos is down after Iniesta accidentally nuts him in the mouth.

Barcelona have the lead again! Alves clips a ball down the inside right channel and Luis Suarez is on it in a flash having slipped inside his marker Pepe. Ramos tries to get across but it's too late, the former Liverpool man finds the bottom left corner with an unerring finish.

Goal! Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid (Luis Suarez)

Messi floats it in but Ramos gets to it first and nuts it out for a corner.

Messi's had a very quiet game but suddenly springs to life, bursting past Kroos and Modric only to caught by the trailing leg of the Croatian. He goes in the referee's book too, and Barca have a free kick a good 35 yards out.

Barcelona suddenly have two on one as Neymar races onto a loose ball with Messi across him but Pepe gets there just in time to knock the ball wide and win a free kick for his side.

Benzema denied by Bravo! A sublime flowing move down the right sees Real carve their way in, with Ronaldo elegantly clipping the ball into the path of the Frenchman who hammers a shot on goal. Bravo is equal to it however and can bat the ball to safety.

Neymar is found out on the left and scampers inside Carvajal before being clipped by the full back, who is shown a yellow card.

Real pick up from where they left off in the first half with Benzema trying to free Bale but there's just too much zip on his pass and Bravo can collect.

And Real Madrid get us back underway for the second half.

A tense half at the Nou Camp draws to a close. Amid all the A-listers on the pitch this evening, Barcelona's goal came from the most unglamorous of them all in Jeremy Mathieu, who nodded home a free kick after some slack defending.

Real bounced back in incisive fashion however, with Cristiano Ronaldo prodding home following an excellent backheeled assist from Karim Benzema. Gareth Bale had a goal chalked off for offside and should have done better with another effort, but it is all square at the half way point.

HALF TIME:

Barcelona 1-1 Real Madrid

Sergio Ramos picks up his obligatory yellow card for a foul on Lionel Messi.

What a chance for Bale! Kroos lifts a cross into the box and it deflects nicely into the path of the Welshman. He only has a split second to take the shot on and swings a right boot at the ball, but can only drive his shot wide.

Ronaldo takes down a lofted cross field ball, cuts in from the left and blasts a vicious effort on goal, forcing Bravo to palm over the bar. Real corner.

Pique tries a bicycle kick from 20 yards out. More of that, please.

Real think they are ahead, but the offside flag is up! Benzema dinks a short cross into the six yard area from the left which Ronaldo nods on behind him. Bale springs free of Rakitic and prods the ball home, but replays suggest Ronaldo was marginally off as he knocked the ball on.

GOAL DISALLOWED - Gareth Bale

Bale suddenly has space to gallop into down the inside right channel, but a slightly heavy touch invites a wonderful sliding challenge from Pique to dispossess him.

Ronaldo, cutting in from the left, skips past Alves and Mascherano and goes down after Pique hangs a leg out on the edge of the box. Was there any contact? Nope, and the Ballon d'Or holder is booked for diving.

Neymar is clearly fuming with himself for missing that chance, and takes it out on Gareth Bale, kicking out at the Welshman and is lucky not to be booked.

Real are level! Neymar misses a great chance to make it two from six yards out, and Barcelona immediately pay the price. On the counter, Modric drives towards goal and slides an excellent ball through to Benzema, who mugs off Pique completely, backheeling the pass first time into the path of Ronaldo who toe pokes the ball past Bravo. Excellent goal.

Goal! Barcelona 1-1 Real Madrid (Cristiano Ronaldo)

A really horrible challenge from Suarez sees him rake his studs down the calf of Pepe. There didn't look like much intention to try and win the ball there and he is rightfully booked.

Real enjoy a decent spell of possession down the eight, carefully probing at the Barcelona defence. They suddenly switch play and Marcelo has the chance to take a shot after beating two men but his effort is blocked by Mathieu. Moments later, the Frenchman makes a terrific sliding challenge to dispossess Isco. The goalscorer is having a stormer.

The corner is half cleared but only as far as Messi who tees up Alba on the edge of the box, but his effort is fired wildly over the bar.

Messi takes it but it bounces off the wall and out for a corner.

Suarez wins a foul of Pepe, who for once is totally innocent of any wrongdoing, which sees the Real defender booked. Barcelona have a free kick 25 yards out.

Sod Messi, Neymar and Suarez, Mathieu is on the score sheet! From a free kick out on the left, Messi whips an inviting ball into the six yard area, and having got the run on Sergio Ramos, Mathieu can thump a header into the far corner to give his side the lead! Poor defending from Real there, but it was clever anticipation from Mathieu, who has his first goal for the club.

Goal! Barcelona 1-0 Real Madrid (Jeremy Mathieu)

That's more like it from Barcelona. Messi skips past one challenge and cuts across from right to left, moving the ball out to Neymar. He clips a cross back into the middle where Messi has continued his run but he nuts a header wide of the post.

Real Madrid are moving the ball around very nicely now and they are enjoying a bit of space down the left with Dani Alves getting caught up the pitch.

Isco now has a crack, picking the ball up on the edge of the area and looking for the bottom corner, but his shot isn't accurate enough.

Ronaldo hits the bar! Marcelo slips a neat ball through inside the left of the box for Benzema, who drags the ball back onto his right foot and clips an excellent ball over to the far post. Ronaldo tears away from his marker and finds the volley, but it comes back off the woodwork.

Bale challenges Alba to a foot race down the right flank and the Spaniard gets the better of him. Alba takes a tumble after the slightest shove from the Welshman and gets his side a free kick. Not the liveliest start to this contest.

Bale gets on the ball for the first time and slides a neat ball through for Benzema who has crept inside of Jordi Alba. Pique gets across to put pressure on the Frenchman who proceeds to drag a fairly rubbish effort across goal.

Barcelona can't work nothing from the resulting corner and Iniesta is able to rejoin play.

First chance of the game goes Barcelona's way. Iniesta plays a sensational one two with Suarez to race inside the left of the box and get the ball across goal.

Messi is lurking, but the ball appears to bounce off a defender en route to heading over the bar. Carvajal caught the ankle of Iniesta just before he crossed the ball and the Barcelona man is off the field for treatment.

Ronaldo gets on his bike for the first time this evening, tearing down the left to a chorus on boos. Dani Alves, with Rakitic also in pursuit does well to keep up with him and nicks the ball away to clear.

And Barcelona get us underway.

Stunning views from around the Camp Nou ahead of kick off.

As mentioned earlier, it's almost a year to the day when Real Madrid and Barcelona fought out a stunning 4-3 at the Bernabeu with Lionel Messi's hat-trick inspiring the Catalan giants to victory.

Real would get their revenge a month later with victory in the Copa del Rey final, a game in which Gareth Bale truly announced his arrival with a stunning late winner.

And it was Los Blancos who came out on top in their last meetin in October. Neymar stunned the Santiago Bernabeu with an early opener but goals from Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe and Karim Benzema sealed a 3-1 victory.

We are minutes away. Settle in.

Luis Enrique has opted not to gamble on Sergio Busquets then, with Javier Mascherano taking his place in his preferred midfield berth.

So, it's just the one change for Barcelona from the side that beat Manchester City on Wednesday with Claudio Bravo returning in goal. That means there is no room in the starting XI for Sergio Busquets, who has just recovered from injury.

Gareth Bale keeps his place in the Real Madrid XI after ending his goal drought last time out with Toni Kroos returning to midfield. Iker Casillas is also back in goal.

Both Carlo Ancelotti and Luis Enrique have stressed in recent days that tonight's match is not a title decider. The Barcelona boss said:

Independent of the result I don't think it will be decisive," Enrique said on Saturday "There are still 10 games to go and there are too many difficult games for both teams, so it is not decisive but important.

Real Madrid team to face Barcelona: Casillas; Carvajal, Pepe, Ramos, Marcelo; Kroos, Modrić, Isco; Bale, Ronaldo, Benzema.

Barcelona team to face Real Madrid: Bravo; Alves, Pique, Mathieu, Alba; Rakitic, Mascherano, Iniesta; Messi, Suarez, Neymar

The compelling subplot of Cristiano Ronaldo v Lionel Messi is also ready for its next chapter. The Argentine's record in this fixture borders on the obscene; 21 goals in 29 El Clasico appearances, including a hat-trick in a league meeting almost a year ago today.

The 27-year-old has netted 20 goals in his last 17 appearances heading into this match, form that has helped Barcelona win 17 of their last 18 games, with the only blip coming in a defeat to Malaga in February.

Team news is expected imminently and Barcelona should have Sergio Busquets back in their starting XI after confirming via a club statement that the midfielder has been passed fit.

Luis Enrique has a full squad to choose from with Jordi Alba and Dani Alves back after suspension. This could be the Brazilian's last ever El Clasico, with doubt reigning over his future in Cataluña

For Carlo Ancelotti's side Sergio Ramos is expected to feature having recovered from a hamstring problem.

It's that time again. When football's global audience comes together for the rivalry that captivates like no other. El Clasico. It's one of the few fixtures in world football that transcends sport and demands attention.

The second and most pivotal derby of the season comes at a time when mood around the Santiago Bernabeu is sour. A win last time out against Levante has done little to mask the fact that Carlo Ancelotti's side have lost their way in recent weeks and the supporters had have made their frustrations known.

They start the evening one point behind league leaders Barcelona, who were at their scintillating best against Manchester City on Wednesday. Seemingly reinvigorated by the sight of his rival Cristiano Ronaldo scooping another Ballon d'Or in January, Lionel Messi has been back to his imperious best. Another inspiring performance this evening could see Luis Enrique's stretch their lead at the top to eight points.