Hong Kong fans to get big-screen showing of El Clasico, with Barcelona and Real Madrid set for afternoon kick-off
- La Liga to stage live outdoor screening of their marquee clash in Central on Saturday at AIA venue
- Spanish rivals traditionally battle it out for country’s top honours and have both achieved multiple European triumphs
Spain’s La Liga has confirmed plans to host an outdoor screening of its marquee El Clasico match between Barcelona and Real Madrid in Central on Saturday.
The game has been scheduled for an afternoon kick-off in Spain, in a move designed to suit Asian audiences who would otherwise be forced out of bed in the early hours to watch.
The Grounds, at Central’s AIA Vitality Park, will be decorated in the colours of both teams, with the action beamed on a giant screen.
Real Madrid are sitting pretty at the top of La Liga after winning eight and drawing one of their opening 10 fixtures. But Barcelona, the reigning Spanish champions, could move one point behind their great rivals with victory over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
The match will have an unfamiliar appearance, with Barcelona playing home matches this season at Estadi Lluis Companys – host venue for athletics at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games – while their iconic Nou Camp stadium undergoes a facelift.
The calibre of players on the pitch for one of club football’s most anticipated fixtures remains unchanged, however. Real Madrid, the record 14-times European champions, count one of the game’s brightest stars, in 20-year-old English revelation Jude Bellingham, among a stellar cast list also featuring Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior, and the classy evergreen midfield pair of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
Barcelona, managed by legendary former player Xavi Hernández, are staffed with elite talent, including Robert Lewandowski, the predatory Polish striker, ex-Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and 19-year-old Gavi, winner of the 2022 Golden Boy award for Europe’s best player under the age of 21.
Franck Kessie scored a stoppage-time winner when Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-1 in March, to avenge their 3-1 away defeat by Carlo Ancelotti’s team 12 months ago.
Fans attending the live screening are promised comfortable seats, with food available to buy. Doors open at 9.45pm, for a 10.15pm kick-off, and the event finishes at midnight.
