El Clasico: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona Preview, Odds, Prediction (Mar 3)

El Clasico comes in the semifinals of Copa del Rey, with Real and Barcelona clashing twice in the battle for the finals. They didn’t have such a good intro coming into this event, as neither of these units managed to post a win during last weekend’s contests. Real took one point against Atletico Madrid in their derby, while Barca lost on the road in Alemria, which was a massive setback for Xavi’s boys.

Preview

Real Madrid (+110) had a player more on the field against Atletico, they played at home and still failed to win. Furthermore, they were behind as Atletico scored a goal with ten guys on the field, and after that, Los Blancos had to chase the deficit.

After five consecutive victories, this event stopped that positive streak, and Real’s record in the past ten contests is seven victories, two draws, and one defeat, which is solid, we need to admit despite all the other circumstances.

The La Liga and the Champions League champs are without a defeat at Bernabeu since the start of the championship. A vast majority of clashes there is with Los Blanco’s netting at least twice, and they rarely keep their net protected, although it did happen in three straight before the event against Atletico. 

Barcelona (+240) shocked the world by losing in Almeria and wasting an opportunity to increase its lead in the standings to 10 points. Instead, the gap is seven, but the concerning fact for Blaugrana fans is that their favorites lost two in a row. 

Pedri’s absence is causing all sorts of trouble, and it is evident that the team doesn’t look good without the young playmaker. He is the glue in the midfield, and not only that, the key passer when it comes to setting up chances. 

A 1-0 loss in Almeria was the fourth game in Barca’s previous six outings with only one side netting. Just to remind you that Barcelona won 12 consecutive clashes before losing in the latest pair. It is something that could hurt the morale pretty severely, and the game at Bernabeu will be the best possible test for Xavi and the crew.

Latest News

Real has a few unavailable players, David Alaba, Mendy and Rodrygo.

Ansu Fati is out, Ousmane Dembele also, as well as the above-mentioned Pedri. These three guys significantly impact the pitch, and once they get back on track, things will be much easier for Blaugrana. 

Head to Head Games

So far this year, the result is 1-1. After a La Liga contest at Bernabeu in which Real won 3-1, Barca hit back with a victory in the Super Cup finals, with the same result, taking the silverware. That clash was in Saudi Arabia, that is, a neutral venue. 

Prediction

Ancelotti and Xavi square off in the elimination stage, and the situation in these types of events is a bit different than in the championship. Since this is an opening clash, and there are 90 minutes in Barcelona, we don’t expect to see too much offense on either end and, therefore, pick a moderate efficiency, that is, 2 or 3 goals.

Pick: Moderate efficiency, 2 or 3 goals +105