Barcelona will host Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the season on 23 December, La Liga president Javier Tebas has confirmed.

The match at Camp Nou had been scheduled for December 20, but will now take place on the Saturday before Christmas, granting Madrid extra recovery time from their stint at the Club World Cup, which takes place in the United Arab Emirates from December 6-16.

Tebas announced the switch in an interview with Spanish radio station Onda Cero.

Zinedine Zidane’s reigning La Liga and European champions comprehensively beat Barca 5-1 on aggregate in last month’s Supercopa de Espana, but the Catalan giants have started their top-flight campaign in more convincing fashion.

Lionel Messi hit a hat-trick as city rivals Espanyol were put to the sword 5-0 on Saturday to make it three wins from three league matches under Ernesto Valverde, while Madrid’s 1-1 draw at home to Levante left them with five points from their opening fixtures.

Photo: EPA/ALEJANDRO GARCIA

This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.co.za