El Clasico: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona Preview, Odds, Prediction

Real Madrid hosts Barcelona in yet another El Clasico spectacle. Two of the biggest clubs in Spain, and maybe even Europe, square off at Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday. It will be very interesting to see what happens in this one and whether Barca has the formula for Los Blancos or whether the last season’s 0-4 win in Madrid was just a lucky coincidence. During this summer, Real and Barca met again, and Blaugrana had more success in that one.

We also have a preview for the game between Liverpool and Manchester City.

Preview

Real Madrid (+130) played 1-1 against Shakhtar in Warsaw, their 12th consecutive game without a defeat. We have to say that the Los Blancos didn’t look eager to play 100% in Poland because of the situation in the standings, which guarantees them a secure finish in the group stage and a certain place in the knockout round.

Seven of the past nine games Los Blancos played were with 2 or 3 goals, and six of them were with both teams netting. Unlike before, Real allows goals, but they usually score two or more on the other end.

In five matches at Santiago this season, Real won four, with the only draw against Osasuna, 1-1. In all events but that one, Los Blancos netted multiple times, and four events saw scores on both sides.

Barcelona ( +210) failed massively on Wednesday night, losing two points at home to Inter. We deliberately say losing because a 3-3 draw was like a defeat for Xavi’s crew, which now has theoretical chances of reaching the knockout stage. This will be for the second year in a row, and that is something that has never happened to Blaugrana.

The defense is terrible, especially with Pique onboard, while on the other side, the offense scores goals but presents pretty disorganized performances, mostly because of Ousmane Dembele, who is inconsistent.

Barca’s previous five games on the road were all with just one side netting, and they lost two of the past three, not being able to score a single hit. Those two were in the UEFA Champions League, 2-0 against Bayern and 1-0 vs. Inter.

Latest News

Vinicius didn’t start in Warsaw, but the Brazilian will be ready for this one. Ancelotti wanted to keep him fresh for Saturday. Courtois was injured, and his appearance will be doubtful, while Ceballos won’t play.

Head to Head Games

Barcelona smashed Real in March this year, 0-4, showing all of its talents at Bernabeu. Though, that didn’t change the situation in the standings because Real left Barca far behind at that moment.

That was the fifth in a row, with over 2.5 goals, but the first after four straight in which just one side delivered. By the way, prior to that game, we saw the Super Cup finals, in which Real had more luck after 2-2 in the regular time, winning in extra times. The opening La Liga leg saw Real triumphing 1-2 in Catalonia.

Prediction

We know that Barca occasionally shines and has the potential to create havoc, but in this case, we are going with the hosts to win. Two reasons determined our pick, the first is last year’s humiliation, and the second is the current form, as Real looks much better than the hated rivals.

Pick: Real Madrid +130