Another edition of the El Clasico is here again! Though it might not command much thrill as recent years back, Real Madrid vs Barcelona remains one of the biggest fixtures in world football.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men are ten points clear of Sevilla at the top of the table. As for their visitors, they are in third place on 51 points with 11 matches left. Barça, who are seeking their first league win in encounters between the two clubs since March 2019, trail their bitter rivals by 15 points.
Undefeated in their last five games, Real Madrid and Barcelona will face off at the Santiago Bernabeu for the third Clasico of the 2021/22 campaign knowing that this will be the fieriest one of the seasons. Barça started the season slowly but have found their groove over the past month under new manager Xavi, who has his team playing the kind of exciting, high-scoring football that this fanbase craves.
Another edition of the El Clasico is here again! Though it might not command much thrill as recent years back, Real Madrid vs Barcelona remains one of the biggest fixtures in world football.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men are ten points clear of Sevilla at the top of the table. As for their visitors, they are in third place on 51 points with 11 matches left. Barça, who are seeking their first league win in encounters between the two clubs since March 2019, trail their bitter rivals by 15 points.
Undefeated in their last five games, Real Madrid and Barcelona will face off at the Santiago Bernabeu for the third Clasico of the 2021/22 campaign knowing that this will be the fieriest one of the seasons. Barça started the season slowly but have found their groove over the past month under new manager Xavi, who has his team playing the kind of exciting, high-scoring football that this fanbase craves.
Form Guide: Barcelona
Barcelona are a different team from the one that stuttered and stumbled their way through the opening few months of the season under Ronald Koeman. Gone is the toxic environment, lack of confidence, and inconsistency, with new boss Xavi rejuvenating the club who are currently enjoying an 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions, including six wins from their last seven.
Barcelona comfortably dismantled Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Napoli, and Athletic Bilbao, scoring four goals against all of them. The challenge against Madrid will be to really test how far they have come.
If they can keep the ball away from Carlo Ancelotti’s side, win it back quickly when they lose it, and limit counterattacks (things they’ve done in recent games against inferior opposition), there’s no reason they can’t end their barren run. However, in this fixture, the Catalans haven’t beaten their rivals in LaLiga since 2019.
Form Guide: Real Madrid
La Liga leaders Real Madrid are 10 points clear of Sevilla with 10 games left to play and 15 points better off than Barcelona down in third. As a result, they are as short as 1/100 to win the title, with Barcelona out at 45/1.
Since returning for a second spell last summer, manager Carlo Ancelotti has won 20 of his 28 league games, losing just twice. Los Blancos have won each of the last five clashes against Barcelona and head into the latest edition of El Clasico on the back of four straight league wins. Sevilla, their nearest challengers, look like they’re slipping away, and with 10 games left it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Madrid don’t end up as champions.
How the match could go
Real Madrid, who won their previous game, will hope for a similar result following the 0-3 La Liga victory versus Mallorca. Los Blancos haven’t lost in the league to Barcelona in their last five matches. They are unbeaten in their previous 24 league matches at home. What a fortress they have created!
Barcelona will go into this encounter following on from a 1-2 Europa League win versus Galatasaray in their most recent game. The Catalans have not beaten Real Madrid in games played away from home in their last two league meetings.
However, Barcelona are undefeated in their last 10 league matches away from home. A tight contest is what we foresee here with us not seeing a clear winner.
Betting Predictions
Both teams to score (Yes)
Both Real Madrid and Barcelona have enough firepower to blow their rivals away, and still have space on the bench. The hosts have conceded in three of their last six games, while Xavi’s men have scored in five of their last five away trips. Historically, there are always breathtaking goals when these sides have met but not in their recent meetings.
Their last five H2H at the Santiago Bernabeu have seen just one side trouble the scorers. With the last three fixtures between both sides have seen both teams find the back of the net. Bet9ja have 1.48, 1xbet have 1.57 and Paripesa have 1.57 odds.
Over 2.5 Goals
In their last five games, Real Madrid have scored fourteen goals with six goals conceded. Meanwhile, Barcelona have twelve to their name, with a similar tally of goals conceded. Both sides like to attack and force defenses to make mistakes. Their last game saw the goalkeepers picking out the ball from the net five times and a similar situation is on the cards. Bet9ja have 1.58 odds, Paripesa have 1.67, and 1xbet have 1.67 odds.
Anytime Goalscorer (Barcelona)
Ferran Torres
The Spaniard has scored three goals in Barça’s last two LL games, each time as their first scorer. Picking him as the first goalscorer in this fixture is an added tip. He has become a clutch player for Barcelona and vital to Xavi’s plans of dominating top-level football in the coming years. He was on the scoresheet as he scored a brace against Osasuna at home. Bet9ja have 3.45 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.875.
Aubameyang
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s February switch from Arsenal to Barcelona has worked wonders. The striker has been rampant for his new employers, hammering in seven goals in his last seven games, including a hat-trick against Valencia and the deciding goal in the mid-week 2-1 Europa League victory away to Galatasaray. The 32-year-old has five goals in six La Liga games, in the process accumulating 14 shots, eight of which have been on target. He’s found the back of the net in each of his last two games and will certainly fancy his chances of firing at the Bernabeu. Bet9ja have 3.00 odds and Paripesa have 2.20 odds for him to score.
Anytime Goalscorer (Real Madrid)
Vinicius
Vinícius Júnior will be key for Madrid having made four-goal contributions over his last five games (G2, A2). The Brazilian would be keen to fill in big shoes in the absence of Karim Benzema. He was also on the score sheet in the previous proving his fans right. Bet9ja have 2.850 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.20.
Benzema
Karim Benzema is arguably the best striker on the planet right now and certainly the most complete. LaLiga’s Player of the Year, Benzema added another brace this past Monday in league play and has essentially locked up the Pichichi. The question is, how many more can he get. Bet9ja have 2.25 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 1.80.
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.
