Real Madrid and Barcelona will lock horns for the first time this season when they face off in Sunday's La Liga clash at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Los Blancos head into El Clasico as the league leaders after winning eight and losing just one of their opening nine La Liga matches under Xabi Alonso.
Meanwhile, Hansi Flick's side are two points adrift of their bitter rivals, having won seven, drawn one and lost one of their nine league outings.
The two sides warmed up for the contest with wins on matchday three of the Champions League league phase, which saw Barcelona thrash 10-man Olympiacos 6-1 a day before Real Madrid edged out Juventus via a 1-0 scoreline.
Ahead of Sunday's Clasico, Sports Mole takes a look at which referee has been appointed for this fixture and his record when officiating the two La Liga giants.
Referee Cesar Soto Grado on April 13, 2025
Soto Grado appointed referee for El Clasico
Cesar Soto Grado has been appointed as the referee for one of football's biggest games.
Soto Grado spent years gaining experience outside of the top flight before being promoted to a LaLiga referee in 2019.
As per Transfermarkt, the 45-year-old has been the man in the middle for 127 La Liga matches, including plenty of games involving Real Madrid and Barcelona.
This will be Soto Grado's second Clasico as referee after previously overseeing Real Madrid's 3-2 win over Barcelona in April 2024.
That game included a controversial moment at 1-1 when VAR failed to rule a Lamine Yamal goal for an effort that appeared to cross the line.
Soto Grado's record in matches involving Real Madrid
Soto Grado has overseen 22 games that have involved Real Madrid, brandishing four red cards and awarding six penalties across those fixtures.
Sunday's official sent Kylian Mbappe off in his most recent experience with Real Madrid as a referee in April's clash with Alaves at Mendizorroza.
Soto Grado initially showed Mbappe a yellow card, but he upgraded his decision to a red after being sent to the monitor to review the Frenchman's dangerous challenge on Antonio Blanco.
In fact, Soto Grado has brandished a red card to a Real Madrid player in three of the last four games that he has refereed Los Blancos.
The official sent Vinicius Junior off against Valencia in January 2025, while he gave Ferland Mendy his marching orders in a game against Mallorca in August 2024.
Soto Grado's record in matches involving Barcelona
Soto Grado has overseen 14 Barcelona matches in his career, handing out two red cards and three penalties.
Both of those red cards went to Barcelona players, including the one shown to Marc Casado for two bookable offences in a goalless draw with Celta Vigo in November 2024.
In August 2023, Raphinha was dismissed in the first half against Getafe after he pushed his forearm into the face of defender Gaston Alvarez.
Soto Grado has had a much quieter time in his recent games with Barcelona, having shown just two yellow cards in his last two matches involving the Catalan giants.
Referee Javier Iglesias Villanueva on April 19, 2024
Iglesias Villanueva in charge of VAR for Real Madrid vs. Barcelona
Soto Grado will have the pressure of being the main official for Sunday's crucial game, but there will also be eyes on the decisions made by the VAR team that has been assigned to El Clasico.
Javier Iglesias Villanueva has already been on VAR for two Real Madrid games this season, a 3-0 win over Real Oviedo in August and a 3-1 victory against Villarreal earlier this month.
The 42-year-old has also been on VAR duty for of Barcelona league games this term, a 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano in August and September's narrow 2-1 victory against Real Sociedad.
This will be the second time in 2025 that Iglesias Villanueva has worked VAR in El Clasico after previously working on Barcelona's 5-2 win in January's Spanish Super Cup final.
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