The destination of this year’s La Liga title will be hanging in the balance this Sunday as Barcelona host Real Madrid for the second installment of El Clasico. Barca have reclaimed top spot in La Liga over a recently reeling Real, and will now look to add to their slim lead.
Barca’s main man Lionel Messi has been in immaculate form of late, head and shoulders above his arch rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. But Real is finally close to full strength after a rash of big injuries, which should make them all the more dangerous. Read on below for our complete breakdown of El Clasico.
Not to be outdone, the Premier League will also showcase its marquee rivalry this Sunday when Manchester United meet Liverpool. Check out our preview of that historic matchup here.
[sc:Soccer ]Barcelona vs. Real Madrid Betting Preview
Where: Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain
When: Sunday, March 22, 12:00 PM ET
Line: Real Madrid at Barcelona – view all soccer lines
What’s at Stake
[sc:Soccer240banner ]One of the biggest rivalries in all of soccer could just get a little more fiery this weekend, because the fate of the La Liga title is very much at stake. Barca currently have a one-point lead over Real, which they could stretch to four points with just 10 matches remaining.
Betting on Barcelona
Everything’s looking very sunny in Barcelona. The Blaugrana, who are currently one point above Real Madrid atop the La Liga standings, are also through to the quarterfinals of the Champions League after a comfortable 1-0 second leg home win over Manchester City on Wednesday.
It was yet another sublime performance from Barca, who rained down 23 shots (11 on target) and controlled 58 percent of possession against City. Lionel Messi didn’t get on the scoresheet, but he did grab an assist on Ivan Rakitic’s goal to cap off a superb game at the heart of Barca’s attack.
Messi has been in typically fine form of late, with six goals and three assists in his last five matches. He’s scored five goals in his last two in La Liga to overtake Cristiano Ronaldo atop the league’s goalscoring charts (32 goals).
Messi has scored seven goals in the last 10 meetings against Real in all competitions. He will lead the finally clicking forward line of MSN (Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar) against a shaky Real Madrid defense that conceded four goals twice in a span of one month.
Midfield anchorman Sergio Busquets missed out against Man City due to an ankle ligament injury, and is a serious doubt for the Clasico. But Barca should be just fine with the reliable Javier Mascherano ready to deputize in the middle of the park and maintain the team’s defensive integrity.
Barcelona are 11-2-0 in the Nou Camp this season, with 46 goals scored and just eight conceded. However, they were surprisingly held goalless in a shock 1-0 home defeat to Malaga on Feb. 21.
Betting on Real Madrid
It’s been a tumultuous last few weeks for Real Madrid. They’ve been on the wrong end of some horrendous results – a humiliating 4-0 defeat to crosstown rivals Atletico on Feb. 7 and 4-3 second leg home loss to Schalke in the Champions League. A 1-1 draw to Villarreal on March 1 ceded their hold over first place in La Liga to Barca.
But the team finally had some good news to celebrate with last week’s 2-0 win over Levante. Gareth Bale, who had been criticized by the home support for his lack of form, helped silence his skeptics with both goals in the win.
Meanwhile, the first-choice central defensive partnership of Sergio Ramos and Pepe made its long-awaited return to the starting lineup after missing time due to injuries, as did instrumental midfielder Luka Modric. Apart from the still-injured James Rodriguez, Real could field their strongest starting 11 for the first time in a long time in the Clasico.
However, significant question marks surround one Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar hasn’t been in the best of form of late, and the Spanish media has had a field day speculating what the root cause of his slump has been.
Real have quite a decent record at the Nou Camp in recent years, with two wins and three draws in their last eight visits in all competitions. Ronaldo has been a major factor in their success, and will need to play at or close to 100 percent in order for Real to come away with a much-needed win. He’s scored eight goals in those eight games, and also scored a penalty in Real’s 3-1 win over Barca at the Bernabeu earlier this season.
Writer’s Prediction
Barca tighten their grip on the title by beating Real, 3-1, at home. Create a betting account now and be a part of one of the most gripping rivalries in all of sports.
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