The technical committee of referees at the Spanish Football Federation has selected Juan Martínez Munuera to officiate the Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid tomorrow, Sunday, in the tenth round of La Liga.
The decision lands amid a charged mood both on the pitch and among the officials, after the controversy that marked the recent rounds.
Javier Iglesias Villanueva will assist Munuera from the video assistant referee room.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Marca", this will be the fifth Clásico of Munuera's career. The 44-year-old has spent 14 seasons in the Spanish first division.
History favours Real Madrid. They have won three of the four matches he has refereed: a 3-1 league victory in 2020, a 4-0 win in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final in 2023, and a 4-1 triumph in the Spanish Super Cup final in 2024.
Barcelona's one success came in a 4-0 league win in 2022.
Munuera has already taken charge of both clubs once this season.
He handled the Catalans away to Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, a game Barcelona won 3-1, and he oversaw Real Madrid's 4-0 win over Málaga at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Across his career, the Alicante official has refereed Real Madrid 46 times, with 30 wins, 9 draws and 7 defeats.
Barcelona's record under him reads 40 matches, 27 wins, 6 draws and 7 defeats.
Video technology
Javier Iglesias Villanueva, 43, takes charge of the video assistant referee technology for the Clásico.
The Eumés official has belonged to the VAR specialist team since the 2024-2025 season.
Real Madrid criticised Iglesias in February 2025. Working the VAR room during the Espanyol match, he did not ask referee Muñiz Ruiz to review a possible red card for Carlos Romero after his tackle from behind on Kylian Mbappé.