Barcelona all but ended Real Madrid's La Liga title defence this afternoon as they ran out 3-0 winners at the Bernabeu in the final Clasico of 2017.
Luis Suarez opened the scoring for the visitors nine minutes into the second half before Real Madrid's hopes diminished even further when Dani Carvajal was sent off for a deliberate handball.
Lionel Messi slammed the resultant spot kick home before Aleix Vidal capped off the scoring with virtually the last kick of the match to send Barca 14 points clear of the defending champions.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's minute-by-minute coverage below.
It is arguably the biggest match in club football as Real Madrid and Barcelona do battle in El Clasico for the final time this calendar year - and what a game it promises to be. These contests very rarely disappoint, and we're expecting another memorable encounter today with plenty riding on the result.
We have a bumper two-hour build-up for the game, so let's waste no time in getting started with a look at the home side...
Even victory would leave the defending champions with a difficult task having seen the gap grow to 11 points during their time at the Club World Cup, but victory today - in addition to a win in their game in hand - could see that close to five - a much more manageable deficit to make up for Zinedine Zidane's side.
Los Blancos come into this match sitting fourth in the Liga table, and they cannot even blame their recent absence at the Club World Cup for that. Madrid do have a game in hand because of that, but they are still three points behind Valencia in third and five adrift of Atletico Madrid so, even with victory in that game in hand, they have some catching up to do if they are to finish in the top two yet alone catch Barcelona.
That is down largely to Cristiano Ronaldo's uncharacteristic struggles in front of goal domestically this term, while the likes of Karim Benzema and the injury-prone Gareth Bale have not exactly shared the goalscoring burden amongst that famous front three.
There aren't many problems at the opposite end of the field with only 11 goals conceded, although that is still four more than both Barca and Atletico Madrid.
Lionel Messi's 93rd-minute winner - his 500th goal for Barcelona - blew the title race wide open on Barca's most recent league visit to the Bernabeu.
However, Madrid demand a very high and consistent standard which Zidane has been unable to reach so far this season. In addition to the sizeable gap separating them from Barcelona in La Liga, Madrid also failed to top their Champions League group and face a very serious threat to their European crown when they take on Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16.
A 1-0 victory over Copa Libertadores champions Gremio, courtesy of a Cristiano Ronaldo goal - was enough to steer Madrid to victory, which also saw them equal Barcelona as the most successful club in the competition's history with three titles.
Even so, if you asked Real Madrid fans if they would rather win the Club World Cup or win today, I'm sure the majority of them would choose this match to come out on top.
Another victory today would see Zidane's side string together five consecutive wins for the first time this season, which goes to show that they have been far more inconsistent this term than they usually are. Five wins on the bounce is a fairly common run of form for a club like Madrid, so to have not achieved it since April constitutes a poor return for Zidane's side.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the pick of the bunch in Madrid's 3-1 victory at the Camp Nou, although he was sent off just two minutes later. That didn't stop Madrid going on to extend their lead, though, with Asensio scoring a golazo of his own to cap it off.
However, that statistic is relatively misleading as Madrid have 'only' won half of their last six games, which may not be a problem for many teams but when chasing Barcelona it most certainly is. Indeed, Madrid have dropped more points from their last six La Liga outings than Barcelona have all season so far.
Such a run is usually taken for granted for Madrid, but considering they failed to win any of their opening three home games of the season - drawing two and losing one - it is a major improvement in form. Indeed, Madrid had won four, drawn four and lost two of their previous 10 home games before this current run, and now they are on the verge of winning six on the bounce for the first time since February.
Indeed, Real Betis are the only visiting team to have won here since Barcelona's last league visit, with Madrid having won 12 and drawn four of the 17 Bernabeu outings since.
As it was, they did even better than that, with Marco Asensio once again getting on the scoresheet with a stunning strike to help Los Blancos to a 2-0 win on the night and a 5-1 triumph on aggregate.
A change of manager was the least of Barca's worries in the end as they suffered the ignominy of losing Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain and then failed to bring in Philippe Coutinho as his replacement, despite their best efforts. As if those off-field issues were worrying enough for Barca fans, they then lost home and away to Madrid in their opening two matches of the season, plunging the club into a mini-crisis.
I have already mentioned the 11-point deficit for Madrid to make up, but from Barcelona's point of view today is a superb opportunity to all but end the title hopes of their biggest rivals. Even a draw would be a good result for the visitors this afternoon, but victory would open up a 14-point advantage which would surely be too much of an ask to chase down for Los Blancos.
There are still plenty of points on offer, of course, but it is hard to see Barca dropping that many - while Madrid stay perfect - over the second half of the season considering they have only dropped six points all season so far.
Victory today would open up a nine-point gap temporarily at least, whilst also extending their unbeaten start to the season. Barca are one of only two remaining unbeaten teams across Europe's top five leagues, although one of the others is also Atletico Madrid so Valverde's side are not even the only unbeaten team in La Liga.
It proved to be an important point in the title race for Madrid as they held off the challenge of Barca, despite failing to win either of their head-to-head meetings.
Madrid could take some solace from the fact that they are the only team to have beaten Barca this season, then, but today's visitors seem to be a much more impressive outfit now than they were in August.
The Blaugrana come into this match having not lost any of their last 24 outings across all competitions, winning 19 of those including each of their last three without conceding a goal.
Valverde's side have been handed a difficult last-16 tie against Premier League champions Chelsea, but many will make them third-favourites behind Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City to win the trophy this season. Barca certainly have the greater experience than the two frontrunners, but they are two teams who look like very real threats to the established elite of European football.
Indeed, Barca have kept 17 clean sheets from their 24 outings so far this season, conceding only eight goals in that time while scoring 59 at the other end. Barca do not have a reputation as a particularly sturdy defensive outfit, but the stats say different so far this season.
Barca came to the Bernabeu two years ago and pulled off a stunning 4-0 win despite Lionel Messi only starting on the bench. Suarez scored twice, with Neymar and Iniesta also getting on the scoresheet in a sensational performance from Luis Enrique's side.
REAL MADRID STARTING XI: Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Modric, Kroos, Kovacic; Ronaldo, Benzema
Subs: Casilla, Nacho, Bale, Theo, Lucas, Asensio, Isco
BARCELONA STARTING XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Vermaelen, Alba; Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitic, Paulinho; Messi, Suarez
Subs: Cillessen, Semedo, D Suarez, Mascherano, Digne, Andre Gomes, Vidal
Well the headline news is that Cristiano Ronaldo is passed fit for the game as expected, overcoming a slight calf injury sustained during the Club World Cup to feature.
Whether the Madrid talisman will be at 100% fitness or not remains to be seen, but it was always likely to take a lot more than only a minor calf problem to keep Ronaldo out of this one.
Despite that, Ronaldo's own form this season has been relatively underwhelming, particularly in La Liga. The striker has shown signs of returning to something approaching his best in recent weeks, though, having scored in each of his last four appearances across all competitions - including the winner in the Club World Cup final to extend his lead as that competition's highest-ever goalscorer.
Ronaldo is joined up front by Karim Benzema, but the likes of Gareth Bale - who is still returning to full fitness - and Marco Asensio have to do with a place alongside Isco on the bench this afternoon. All three of those players have the ability to come on and change the game should Madrid need it at any point this afternoon.
Sergio Ramos and Casemiro both return from suspension domestically to come back into the side, while Carvajal, Varane, Kovacic also come back into the side as Hakimi, Vallejo, Nacho, Vazquez and Asensio all drop out.
Aside from that, though, Ernesto Valverde has kept faith with the same starting lineup which means another outing for Thomas Vermaelen, who has really stepped up to the plate in the absence of the injured Samuel Umtiti. Vermaelen had been a forgotten man before that, but he has impressed in recent weeks and continued to keep Javier Mascherano out of the team now.
Messi has been the scourge of Madrid down the years, scoring more Clasico goals than any other player in the fixtures long history, and he will be confident of adding to that total again here.
Suarez has been nowhere near his best for large chunks of the season yet still has nine La Liga goals to his name, whereas Paulinho has proven to be an important acquisition. The decision to sign the Brazilian from the Chinese Super League was questioned by plenty of people during the summer, but he has since scored six La Liga goals and established himself as an important part of Valverde's set-up at the Camp Nou.
The veteran Andres Iniesta once again starts in the middle of the park and should bring plenty of guile and creativity to midfield as Barca attempt to break through the Madrid defence, although he is not expected to play the full 90 minutes this afternoon.
Neymar opened the scoring early on for Barca, but goals from Ronaldo, Pepe and Benzema ensured that Madrid earned the Clasico bragging rights - a rarity at the Bernabeu in recent years.
That victory made it 23 La Liga games unbeaten for the Blaugrana, during which time they have won 20 games and drawn just three. Two of those draws have come in their last four outings - and all three have been this season - but those are Barca's only dropped points all term and they come into this match in winning form with back-to-back triumphs and clean sheets over Villarreal and Deportivo.
Barca have won eight and drawn four of those 12 games since then, although three of their draws have come in their last five away games and they have not managed back-to-back wins on the road since October - something which they could achieve today.
Unusually Barca have scored fewer than Atletico and Valencia on their travels so far this term, although they are still unbeaten in their la 11 La Liga away games stretching back to April, when they were beaten 2-0 by Malaga.
Messi scored a hat-trick - including two penalties - with Iniesta, Benzema and Ronaldo also on the scoresheet in a classic Clasico which also saw Sergio Ramos shown a straight red card.
Ronaldo may have levelled things with Messi on the Ballon d'Or front this year, but he remains some way behind in the Clasico stakes. Ronaldo is the third-highest scorer in Clasicos with 17 - just one behind fellow Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano - but he is still seven goals behind Messi, whose tally of 24 is by far the best in the history of this fixture.
Messi's dominance of this fixture continues when you include assists, with the Argentine setting up a further 13 goals for teammates in Clasicos, meaning that he has directly contributed to 37 goals in his 36 appearances in this fixture. Ronaldo, but contrast, has only one assist to his name in this fixture, so he has directly contributed to 'just' 18 goals in his 28 Clasicos.
© Offside
Looking even further back to Ronaldo's arrival at the Bernabeu, Messi comes out on top once again. The Argentine has scored 309 goals, contributed 137 assists and won five titles since Ronaldo joined Los Blancos, whereas the Portuguese star has scored 289 goals, registered 92 assists and won two titles from 276 outings.
Both of those are, of course, phenomenal records, but Messi just about pips his perennial rivals in those particular stats.
Rarely in recent memory has this fixture been played among such politically unstable times in Spain, with Catalonia's fight for independence turning into a bitter struggle in recent months. Real Madrid very much represent the royal establishment and exactly what Catalonia is trying to separate itself from, with Barcelona the pre-eminent Catalan flagship.
This one is a tough one to call. Real Madrid need to go for the win, which should hopefully result in another open game full of action, goals and drama. I am certainly backing goals, but Barca are more than capable of exploiting any gung-ho attitude from Real Madrid. I'll sit on the fence with a score draw.
SPORTS MOLE SAYS: Real Madrid 2-2 Barcelona
The last time Barca failed to score in a Clasico actually came exactly a decade ago today, when Julio Baptista scored the only goal of the game as Madrid ran out 1-0 winners.
REAL MADRID STARTING XI: Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Modric, Kroos, Kovacic; Ronaldo, Benzema
BARCELONA STARTING XI: Ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Vermaelen, Alba; Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitic, Paulinho; Messi, Suarez
Real Madrid have come closest to breaking the deadlock with Ronaldo looking particularly dangerous, but Barcelona have had a couple of good sights of goal themselves and this one could still go either way.
Benzema did really well to get in front of his man and flick his header towards the bottom corner. Ter Stegen was well beaten, but the ball struck the upright on its way behind.
Ronaldo was left embarrassed after just 10 minutes, though, when he completely missed the ball in a really good position to let Barcelona off the hook. The Ballon d'Or winner has also set up a decent chance for Benzema, but Pique did enough to thwart that.
The first was the best of the lot when the Brazilian darted in behind to latch on to Messi's brilliant pass forward before firing a first-time half-volley towards goal which needed to be tipped over the top. Messi was also the creator for Paulinho's second chance, although this time it was a more routine stop for Navas at his near post.
Busquets starts the move off in defence with a pass into Rakitic, and the pitch just seems to open up for the Croatian. He carries the ball a long way into the Madrid half before giving it out to Roberto, who in turn lays a perfect first-time pass into the path of Suarez. Navas reads it and gets across, but he cannot keep out Suarez's first-time finish as he drills it below the keeper.
Luis Suarez scores his 5th goal in 7 La Liga games v Real Madrid
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) December 23, 2017
Real Madrid have now not kept a clean sheet in their last 20 La Liga #ElClasico matches pic.twitter.com/9LgmKDTZY4
It was a flurry of activity before that, with Messi threading a fine ball through for Suarez, who only has the keeper to beat. Navas makes a big one-on-one save to deny the Uruguayan, but he then pokes the ball to Messi, who keeps his composure to find Suarez again. The second effort strikes the post, before Pique nods the ball towards goal from another rebound.
This time it is denied by Carvajal's save with his hand and, while Barca do then put the ball in the back of the net, the referee calls play back for the handball and shows Carvajal the red card. Barca ensure that they do get the goal as well, with Messi making no mistake.
Second-half goals from Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Aleix Vidal saw Barca cruise to a 3-0 victory which gives them a nine-point lead at the top of La Liga and, just as importantly, a 14-point advantage over Real Madrid. Surely there is no coming back from that.
Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's blockbuster clash as Barcelona take another step towards regaining the Liga title, all but ending Madrid's defence in the process. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
