A comparison of Mbappé's Real Madrid and Yamal's Barcelona ahead of their first clasico

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — When Real Madrid added Kylian Mbappé, Barcelona looked doomed to becoming a regular runner-up to its fierce rival.

Then Hansi Flick arrived with fresh ideas, Lamine Yamal blossomed into a star, his teammates stepped up their game, and Saturday’s clasico promises to be a highly entertaining and close-fought match.

It will be the first clasico for Mbappé and Flick. Barcelona leads La Liga by three points from second-placed Madrid.

Here is a line-by-line look at the teams set to face off at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid became the envy of soccer when Mbappé walked away from Paris Saint-Germain and joined Madrid as a free agent last summer.

He has teamed up with the already brilliant Vinícius Júnior to form the most lethal one-two punch in soccer, especially when either has any room to dribble at defenses caught off guard.

They have scored eight goals across all competitions, while Vinícius also has seven assists. Vinícius arrives in particularly great form after his hat trick fueled a 5-2 comeback from two goals down against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday.

But with Rodrygo doubtful and Endrick unused by coach Carlo Ancelotti in recent games, Barcelona collectively may be able to counter Madrid’s firepower up front.

Robert Lewandowski is playing at his best since arriving in Barcelona. Under Flick, his former coach at Bayern Munich, the 36-year-old Poland striker has scored 15 times, including a league-leading 12.

Raphinha has morphed from a hard-working winger into a scorer and team leader.

The Brazilian struck his second hat trick of the season — and his career — to power Barcelona’s 4-1 rout of Bayern in the Champions League on Wednesday. He has nine goals and a team-high eight assists overall in this campaign.

Yamal has chipped in with five goals and seven assists after helping Spain win the European Championship in July and is an unpredictable playmaker from his spot on the right. He upstaged Mbappé when the then-16-year-old scored the goal of Euro 2024 as Spain beat France in the semifinals.

For the first time since the departure of Andrés Iniesta, Barcelona can field a midfield that is at least more creative, if not better, than Madrid’s.

Flick has plenty of options. Pedri delivers the final pass, Dani Olmo gives it scoring, and Flick has plucked a fine holding midfielder in Marc Casadó from the La Masia training academy.

Barcelona can also call on Netherlands mainstay Frenkie de Jong, Olympic gold medalist Fermín López, Pablo Torre, and Gavi Páez, who recently returned from a serious leg injury.

While Barcelona has more finesse, Madrid is struggling to find its flow in attack without those great long passes that the now retired Toni Kroos delivered season after season.

The Madrid midfield should, however, have more scoring punch thanks to the attacking instincts of Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde. Bellingham delivered late winners in both of Madrid’s clásico victories last season.

Ancelotti could use a four-man midfield and include Luka Modric or Eduardo Camavinga to play along with stopper Aurélien Tchouaméni.

Madrid will have to manage without serial winner Dani Carvajal after his season-ending leg injury. Lucas Vázquez will likely take his place at right back and have to tangle with Yamal.

Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger provide Madrid with a solid anchor with Ferland Mendy on the left.

Jules Koundé is enjoying his strongest season yet for Barcelona and will have another go at Vinícius. Ínigo Martínez will likely partner with 17-year-old Pau Cubarsí to try to stop Mbappé in the middle, while Alejando Balde patrols the left flank.

Both teams will be without their top goalkeepers. Andriy Lunin is in for the injured Thibaut Courtois after performing admirably in the Belgian's place for a long period of last season. Iñaki Peña still has to prove he is the right player to replace Marc-Andre ter Stegen. If not, then Wojciech Szczesny could take his spot for Barcelona.

Flick’s Barcelona is no longer dragged down by its obsession to control the ball. The German manager has Barcelona attacking with speed, and players like Raphinha and Yamal are thriving

Barcelona actually lost the possession game against Bayern, 58%-42%, while not suffering in defense. That shift would have been unthinkable under previous coaches like Xavi Hernández.

Ancelotti, meanwhile, is having to deal with a problem that any coach would love to have: How to fit Mbappé and Vinícius in the same lineup since they both like to play on the left flank.

As Bellingham said last season when Madrid won La Liga and the European Cup, the strength of Ancelotti is in letting his players just get on with it and exploit their talents.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Players train at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sept. 16, 2024, ahead of a Champions League soccer match between VfB Stuttgart and Real Madrid. (AP Photo/Paul White, file)

FILE - Barcelona's head coach Hansi Flick sits at the bench during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Osasuna and Barcelona at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona, Spain, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Miguel Oses, file)

FILE - Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the UEFA Super Cup Final soccer match between Real Madrid and Atalanta at the Narodowy stadium in Warsaw, Poland, Aug. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, file)

WHEATON, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 13, 2026--

Adair & Company (“Adair”), a procurement and supply chain value creation firm serving middle-market private equity firms and their portfolio companies, today announced the appointment of Kim Killian as Chief Revenue Officer, effective January 1, 2026.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260113821589/en/

Kim’s appointment reflects Adair’s continued investment in helping clients realize faster EBITDA improvement, stronger cash flow, and more repeatable value creation without the friction and overhead of traditional consulting models. As CRO, Kim will focus on expanding Adair’s national reach while preserving the firm’s defining advantage: senior-only execution that quickly creates real value, builds internal capability to sustain it, and then gets out of the way.

Kim brings more than 25 years of operating and revenue leadership experience, with a decade of focus on private equity-backed middle market organizations. A three-time C-suite executive, she has built and scaled commercial engines across the full investment lifecycle, from diligence and early post-close value creation through exit readiness and acquisition.

Most recently, Kim Killian served as Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Marketing Officer at Messina Group, where she helped transform the firm into a trusted partner to PE sponsors and portfolio company leaders. During her tenure, she grew the consulting business by 10x, secured the firm’s first PE clients, and built a modern revenue operations foundation to support scalable growth.

Earlier in her career, Kim co-founded and led the commercial organization of a healthcare technology company from startup through acquisition by Optum (UnitedHealth Group), gaining firsthand experience navigating the full M&A lifecycle and competing successfully against much larger incumbents.

In her new role, Kim will oversee all revenue-generating functions, including sales, marketing, strategic partnerships, and business development. She will work closely with operating partners to deepen relationships, improve market coverage, and ensure Adair’s offerings remain tightly aligned with the outcomes sponsors and management teams care most about: speed, materiality, and durability of results.

“Kim Killian understands how PE sponsors think—and how portfolio companies actually operate,” said Noah Adair, Founder and CEO of Adair & Company. “She has built scalable growth engines before, but more importantly, she knows how to help clients win during the moments that matter most. As we grow, Kim will help us extend that impact to more sponsors and portfolio companies.”

“Adair has earned its reputation by doing the work differently,” said Kim. “Clients don’t need more slide decks. They need experienced operators who move fast, deliver real financial results, and leave their organizations stronger. My focus is on scaling that model thoughtfully—so more sponsors and portfolio companies can experience the benefits.”

About Adair & Company

Adair & Company is a procurement and supply chain value creation firm serving middle-market companies and private equity portfolio companies. Founded by procurement and supply chain veteran Noah Adair, the firm deploys senior operators to deliver fast, margin expansion and working capital improvement through strategic sourcing, inventory optimization, and comprehensive PE support across the deal cycle. With a performance-based fee structure and a track record of delivering an average 6x ROI, Adair & Company partners with clients to create value, train teams for sustainability, and drive lasting operational improvement. For more information, visit www.Adaircompany.com.

Kim Killian has been appointed Chief Revenue Officer by Adair & Company effective January 1, 2026.