Fans treated to El Clasico Christmas present
Barcelona will host Real Madrid in the first LaLiga Clasico of the season on 23 December, it has been confirmed.
Barcelona will host Real Madrid in the first Clasico of the season at 13:00 CET (11pm AEDT) on Saturday 23 December, LaLiga president Javier Tebas has confirmed.
The match at Camp Nou had been scheduled for December 20 but will now take place on the Saturday before Christmas, granting Madrid extra recovery time from its stint at the FIFA Club World Cup, which takes place in the United Arab Emirates from December 6-16.
Tebas announced the switch in an interview with Spanish radio station Onda Cero.
Zinedine Zidane's reigning LaLiga and European champion comprehensively beat Barca 5-1 on aggregate in last month's Supercopa de Espana but the Catalan giant has started its top-flight campaign in more convincing fashion.
Lionel Messi hit a hat-trick as city rivals Espanyol was put to the sword 5-0 on Saturday to make it three wins from three league matches under Ernesto Valverde, while Madrid's 1-1 draw at home to Levante left them with five points from its opening fixtures.
