In world football, there are some massive rivalries that fans from all over the world tune in to watch when they come around. You have the Manchester Derby, Celtic versus Rangers in Scotland, and El Clasico in Spain. The latter is the rivalry that exists between Barcelona and Real Madrid, and while this has always been a fierce one, the ante has been upped in recent years, as these two have consistently been engaged in a 2-horse race to win La Liga. That race is not really happening this year, though, as Barcelona have built up a lead over their rivals that is unlikely to be challenged at this late stage of the season.
In fact, Atletico Madrid has a better shot at running down the leaders than Real Madrid do. Still, Madrid can put a dent in Barcelona’s title hopes by taking them down at home this coming Saturday, although they are going to need to shake off the heavy home defeat that they had at the hands of Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey in midweek. This one is in as a PK play, with the O/U set at 3.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona La Liga Odds, Preview & Pick
🔊 Valverde: “When you win, you gain confidence, but when you lose you want to reverse that, so it will be a tough match.” ⚽ #ElClásico pic.twitter.com/h9th9GhpyF
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) 1 de marzo de 2019
- When: Saturday, March 2 at 2:45 PM EST
- Where: Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid
- TV: BeIN
- Live Stream: BeIN Connect
- La Liga Odds: Barcelona +141 (Total 3)
Why bet on Real Madrid?
This has been a tough season for Real Madrid, as they appear to be struggling to reach the same levels that they reached when Cristiano Ronaldo was still on the team. In fairness, though, they have had some serious injury issues to deal with this season, and while Gareth Bale is having a great season, there is still the feeling that he is not the best fit for this team.
Madrid had a chance to move on to the Copa del Rey final earlier this week, but they blew that opportunity by losing 3-0 at home to Barcelona in the second leg. Realistically, the only hope for silverware that they have this season is in the Champions League, although given their form this season, winning that one seems unlikely. Madrid is 8-1-3 at home in league play, scoring 19 and surrendering just 7.
Expected Line-up
- 25-T. Courtois
- 4-S. Ramos
- 2-D. Carvajal
- 5-R. Varane
- 12-Marcelo
- 10-L. Modrić
- 8-T. Kroos
- 14-Casemiro
- 17-L. Vázquez
- 9-K. Benzema
- 28-V. Júnior
Why bet on Barcelona?
As it stands right now, Barcelona has a 7-point cushion at the top of the league, with Atletico Madrid their closest rival right now. It’s hard to imagine them losing the title with that much of a cushion at this late stage of the season, so they may not necessarily feel the need to go all out to get the win in this one.
In reality, Barcelona would probably be happy to come away with a point, especially given how tough it is to beat the same team twice in a matter of a few days. Barcelona has the best road record in La Liga, going 8-3-1 in their 12 road games. They scored 26 and gave up just 10 in those games, so they certainly have the attacking ability to go on the road and score.
Expected Line-up
- 1-M. ter Stegen
- 3-G. Piqué
- 18-J. Alba
- 23-S. Umtiti
- 2-N. Semedo
- 4-I. Rakitić
- 22-A. Vidal
- 5-S. Busquets
- 7-P. Coutinho
- 10-L. Messi
- 9-L. Suárez
El Clasico Facts
- Real Madrid has scored in each of its last seven league games
- Barcelona is unbeaten in its last nine away matches in La Liga
- Barcelona has won 14 of the last 27 meetings between these two teams
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Like I said earlier in this piece, I’m quite sure that Barcelona will be happy to get a point here, as they are likely to be up against a Madrid team intent on revenge after that heavy defeat in midweek. I am going with the tie and the OVER here.
Score: Real Madrid 2 – Barcelona 2
