On Sunday, October 16, El Clasico pits Real Madrid against Barcelona at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu. Rivals Real and Barcelona square off in the capital in a highlight match. When Real Madrid hosts Barcelona in a highly awaited El Clasico match on Sunday, two undefeated records are on the line.
You can follow Real Madrid live scores on Flashscore
On Saturday at Santiago Bernabeu, two of the biggest clubs in Spain and perhaps even all of Europe will face off. It will be fascinating to see how this one plays out and whether Barcelona has the secret to defeating Los Blancos or whether their 0-4 victory in Madrid last year was just a stroke of good luck. This summer saw another meeting between Real and Barca, and the Blaugrana fared better in that one.
Real Madrid have won five of their last six matches against Barcelona in all competitions, as many victories as in their previous 18 meetings (five wins, four draws, and nine losses). With the Barcelona team looking to level the playing field in the league, they have both started the season with little to separate either of them.
Form Guide: Real Madrid
Real started the season well with nine straight victories, starting with a UEFA Super Cup victory against Eintracht Frankfurt and concluding with an Atletico Madrid derby victory. But ever since they got back from the international break, their performances have only become a little worse. Before another deadlock on Tuesday night, a 1-1 home tie with Osasuna was followed by a close victory over Shakhtar and Getafe.
Real Madrid’s 12th game without a loss ended in a 1-1 draw against Shakhtar in Warsaw. Given their position in the rankings, which ensures them a spot in the knockout phase and a comfortable finish in the group stage, we must admit that the Los Blancos didn’t appear motivated to play their best in Poland.
Ancelotti’s men defeated Getafe in the local derby thanks to Eder Militao’s goal, but they will have much bigger fish to fry against Barca. Karim Benzema is back in the starting XI, while both Dani Ceballos and Thibaut Courtois should miss out with injuries.
Form Guide: Barcelona
Barcelona started the new season with a scoreless draw at home against Rayo Vallecano but went on to win seven straight league games. However, following consecutive losses on the road at Bayern Munich and Inter Milan, Blaugrana has significant issues in the UEFA Champions League. This is a fast turnaround for them after a difficult and crucial European tournament match against Inter Milan on Wednesday night at Spotify Camp Nou.
On Wednesday night, Barcelona had a disastrous performance and dropped two points against Inter at home. We use the word “losing” on purpose since Xavi’s team effectively lost after a 3-3 tie, even if they still have a chance to go to the next round. The fact that this will be happening twice in a row is unprecedented for Blaugrana.
Xavi could become the first Barcelona coach to win his first two La Liga Clasicos since Gerardo Martino in 2014. In the event of a win and a clean sheet, he will become only the second coach in Clásico history to win without conceding his first two clásicos after Luis Carniglia with Real Madrid between 1957 and 1958.
How the game could go
In recent years, Real Madrid has had more success overall than Barcelona, but Barcelona will enter this match with a winning streak of two El Clasicos in a row. When Blaugrana last played at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in March of this year, they came away with a crushing 0-4 victory. In five of the previous six El Clasicos, three goals or more were scored.
Although Barca has made good hirings up front, their defense appears aging and their lack of speed will continue to be an issue. This might be yet another suspenseful story. We know that Barca occasionally shines and has the potential to create havoc, but in this case, we are going with an end-to-end performance with lots of goals being scored by both sides.
Betting Predictions
Over 2.5 goals
As per the norm, Sunday’s El Clasico will be graced by some of football’s most devastating attacking players and both Real Madrid and Barcelona have several lethal weapons in their armory. Clashes between these Spanish giants are rarely dull and each of the last five competitive encounters between Real Madrid and Barca has produced over 2.5 goals. Another bonanza of attacking football is likely on Sunday as the heavyweights duke it out for the top spot in La Liga and bettors are advised to harness the potential for entertainment with a stake on over 2.5 goals again. Bet9ja have 1.54, 1xbet have 1.59 and Paripesa have 1.59 odds.
BTTS (YES)
Real Madrid and Barcelona, the league’s top two teams and title rivals, square battle in the first El Clasico of the season on Sunday. Before their most recent rivalry game, both clubs were undefeated, which may be a reason to stay away from the match outcome markets. In this match, both sides appear poised to contribute to the scoreboard. Since the summer, Los Blancos have scored in all 13 of their competitive games, and with Karim Benzema back in the lineup, they can continue their impressive streak. Barca has scored in seven straight La Liga games, but they should have the quality to respond, led by Robert Lewandowski. For the fourth time in five games, we are betting for both sides to score. Bet9ja have 1.44 odds, Paripesa have 1.40 and 1xbet have 1.40 odds.
Anytime Goalscorer (Real Madrid)
Karim Benzema
The striker is set to return from the injury that has kept him on the sidelines for over three weeks. He has been a menace when called upon and can provide a superb performance to see his side win here today. Benzema has recorded three goals already this season in five La Liga games for Madrid and can certainly provide more as we don’t expect less from last season’s Pichichi winner. Bet9ja have 2.50 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.05.
Vinicius Jr
The Brazilian has brought his A game again this season scoring decisive goals for this Real Madrid side. He certainly made the club not feel the absence of veteran striker Benzema while he was away due to injury. Vinícius Júnior has scored in four of Madrid’s last five home games, twice opening the scoring, we believe he can score here again today. Bet9ja have 2.90 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.37.
Anytime Goalscorer (Barcelona)
Lewandowski
The Polish striker looks to be the missing piece for Xavi’s side as he has recorded nine goals already in La Liga and fourteen goals in all competitions this season he would be looking to add to his goal tally today. Robert Lewandowski has netted six times in eight games against the Madrid outfit, this shows he has an incredible record against them already. Bet9ja have 2.65 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 1.95.
Dembele
The forward has seen a resurgence under the new boss with him being the one with the most goals for this Barcelona side. He has scored three goals this season in total and provided four assists already. He would be deployed on the left and has proved dangerous for opponents already this season and we see him producing a stellar performance against club rivals Madrid. Bet9ja have 4.50 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 5.75 odds.
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
