The Clasico date was set by La Liga to avoid a clash with a major sporting event

The first El Clasico of the season is just a day away, with Real Madrid and Barcelona preparing to face off at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday evening. The visitors only had three days of rest before the game, while Los Blancos had played their Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund 24 hours earlier (on Tuesday).

The game starts at 9pm CET, which is unusual for El Clasico. The meetings between Real Madrid and Barcelona usually took place on Saturday afternoon or Sunday evening, depending on La Liga preferences. This time, however, there is a reason for the decision.

According to the MD, La Liga has decided that the game will be played on Saturday instead of Sunday to avoid a clash with Formula 1's Mexican Grand Prix, which is scheduled to start at 9pm CET. The two events would have started at the same time and for La Liga this would have meant a lower attendance.

DAZN will show both events in Spain and also welcomes this decision by La Liga. It remains to be seen whether the reduced rest period affects either Real Madrid or Barcelona.