Barcelona locker room stunned by the chaos at Real Madrid

Barcelona stunned by Real Madrid problems. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Inside the Barça dressing room, there was also some disbelief and irony surrounding Real Madrid’s internal crisis, because of how surreal the situation appeared, with two players fighting, teammates watching, and Kylian Mbappe leaving Valdebebas laughing.

It has, however, been reported that Mbappe had left the training facilities before the incident took place.

At the same time, several Barça players privately criticised the attitude of the Uruguayan midfielder, who refused to accept Tchouameni’s apology before training after another incident between the pair on Wednesday.

There was also surprise at Alvaro Arbeloa’s apparent lack of intervention, allowing tensions to continue escalating before exploding again into a physical confrontation after the session.

Within the camp, there is a clear feeling that the circumstances in which Real Madrid arrive for the Clasico favour Barcelona.

However, there is equally strong awareness that Real Madrid cannot be underestimated, especially as beating Barça now represents their final chance to salvage some pride from what has otherwise been a disastrous season in every sense.