The league is more than two El Clasico matches between Barcelona and Real Madrid but after losing all El Clascio matches last season to Barcelona, Real Madrid will no longer want to have another defeat this season. They might also consider that a good result from a first El Clasico in this season will be a quality mark that they are stronger and already competitive enough to beat Barcelona in direct matches and also win La Liga title.
Since October 2024, Real Madrid has never been able to beat Barcelona. I think this is a tough task for Xabi. Real Madrid has always struggled against Barcelona, and it even seems like Madrid tends to perform worse. This was different when Barcelona was hit by a crisis during the 23/24 season. Madrid was clearly superior, but since the start of the new season, Madrid seems to have lost its edge. El Clásico is always anticipated, but the championship doesn’t depend on a single match. Madrid must stay focused if they want to win the trophy this season. Xabi also needs to quickly secure new players for the center-back and central midfield positions to replace Beligham’s role.