Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: El Clasico, Barcelona, Real Madrid, La Liga, Football
James Taylor
Topics: El Clasico, Barcelona, Real Madrid, La Liga, Football
Barcelona and Real Madrid have been banned from calling their matches 'El Clasico' ahead of this weekend's clash.
Hansi Flick's side travel to the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday hoping to return to the top of La Liga.
They come into the match on the back of a commanding 6-1 victory over Olympiacos in the Champions League in midweek.
But in Real Madrid, they face one of the most in-form sides in Europe, who also won during the week in Europe - defeating Juventus 1-0.
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In Kylian Mbappe, they also have one of the most lethal strikers in Spain, with the French forward already on 10 league goals after just eight matches.
It sets the scene for what should be a thrilling first El Clasico of the season, even if neither club are allowed to use that term.
Earlier this year, La Liga won a legal dispute over the commercial rights to the term El Clasico.
The case centred on whether Real Madrid and Barcelona could claim exclusive rights to the name of their historic rivalry.
However, it was ruled that La Liga's registration of "ELCLASICO" in May 2023 gave the league sole commercial control over the term.
As a result, the two clubs cannot market or promote their fixture using El Clasico in promotional materials or during negotiations.
Barcelona and Real Madrid have clashed with La Liga over several issues in recent years.
Most recently, tensions rose over plans to move Barcelona's fixture against Villarreal in December to Inter Miami's Hard Rock Stadium.
La Liga players protested the decision over the weekend by refusing to move for the first 15 seconds of matches in the league.
The Association of Spanish Footballers said they were 'protesting symbolically' against the 'lack of transparency, dialogue and coherence'.
On October 21, La Liga announced that Barcelona's game in the United States would no longer go ahead and will instead be played at Vilarreal's Estadio de la Ceramica.
A La Liga statement read: "Following discussions with the promoter of the official La Liga match in Miami, the latter has announced its decision to cancel the event due to the uncertainty surrounding Spain in recent weeks.
"La Liga deeply regrets that this project, which represented a historic and unparalleled opportunity for the internationalisation of Spanish football, cannot go ahead."
Barcelona later issued a statement saying they "respect" the cancellation of the match in North America.
The club said: "FC Barcelona regrets the missed opportunity to expand the image of the competition in a strategic market with growth potential and resource generation for the benefit of all.
"The club thanks the unconditional support and affection it has received from our fans in the United States and deeply regrets that they are deprived of witnessing the official match in the country."
Although no La Liga fixture will be played outside Spain for now, it remains to be seen whether the league will attempt it again in the future.