El Clasico heats up: Real Madrid to beef up security following court ruling Real Madrid The first opportunity for protests

Spain's supreme court ruled on Monday that nine of the Catalan leaders behind the referendum in October of 2017 should face prison sentences between nine and 13 years and the first fixture that Barcelona will play at the Camp Nou following this ruling just so happens to be El Clasico against Real Madrid.

Over the past couple of years, there have been various demonstrations of support for the imprisoned secessionist leaders at the Camp Nou and Barcelona even released a statement on Monday criticising the prison sentences.

It is expected that El Clasico will be used by some as a vehicle for protest, as it'll be the next home match and also one with the entire world watching.

As such, directors from Real Madrid - who have refrained from making any political statements or gestures - believe the club should reinforce their security even further than the usual high level of security they have for these types of matches.

One of the problems for Los Blancos is the fact that the early kick-off of 13:00 local time means that the squad will need to stay overnight in the Catalan capital and they'll arrive on the Friday evening.

The institutional relationship between the two clubs right now is respectful and Real Madrid directors hope all will pass as normal away from what could happen in the stands or the outskirts of the stadium.

As for the away fans, they'll have to pay 165 euros to watch the match in the fourth tier and surrounded by maximum security.