Xavi will take his Barcelona team to Bernabeu on Sunday evening, with the Catalan giants looking to overcome Real Madrid in El Clasico.

The former midfielder has plenty of experience when it comes to facing Real Madrid as a player, but this weekend's clash will be the first time that he has managed against Los Blancos in the league.

The 42-year-old has taken charge of 25 matches since his arrival as Barcelona boss, boasting a record of 14 wins, seven draws and four defeats.

Xavi was unable to lead his side to a win over Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup back in January, with the capital outfit recording a 3-2 victory to book their spot in the final.

Barcelona have won each of their last four La Liga matches, which has moved them into third position in the table, but they are still 15 points behind division leaders Los Blancos ahead of El Clasico.

Here, Sports Mole looks at Xavi's record against Real Madrid as a professional footballer.

© Reuters

Xavi faced Real Madrid on 42 occasions during his playing career, boasting a record of 17 wins, 12 draws and 13 defeats, while he scored five times and provided 10 assists in El Clasico.

The vast majority of the former midfielder's playing experience against Los Blancos came in La Liga, facing the capital outfit 29 times in the competition, winning 13, drawing seven and losing nine of those matches.

Xavi managed four goals and eight assists in his 29 league appearances against Real Madrid, while he also tackled them on a further 13 occasions across three separate competitions.

The former Spain international faced Los Blancos three times in the Champions League, helping Barcelona reach the final of the 2011 competition with a 3-1 aggregate success, but he only played in one leg of their semi-final in 2001-02, which Real Madrid won 3-1 on aggregate.

© Reuters

Xavi also faced the capital giants on six occasions in the Copa del Rey, boasting a record of one win, two draws and three defeats against them, including losses in the 2011 and 2014 finals.

There were also four meetings in the Spanish Super Cup, with Xavi winning two, drawing one and losing one of those matches, finding the back of the net in the first leg of the 2012-13 final.

The former midfielder captained Barcelona on three occasions against Real Madrid in the league, in addition to twice in the Copa del Rey and three times in the Spanish Super Cup.

Having won the majority of his previous 42 games against Los Blancos as a player, Xavi will be in a confident mood heading into this match, but Barcelona have not actually beaten their bitter rivals in La Liga since March 2019, losing four of their last five meetings in Spain's top flight, including a 2-1 defeat at Camp Nou earlier this season.