The first edition of “El Clasico” in this 2014-2015 La Liga season will be a proverbial battle between the irresistible force vs. the immovable object. Real Madrid, led by the amazing Cristiano Ronaldo, have been raining in the goals so far this season, while Lionel Messi’s record-breaking Barcelona have yet to concede even a single one.
Something’s got to give in this intriguing Clasico, which will have an added layer of intrigue as Luis Suarez makes his return to competitive football after his infamous biting incident at the World Cup. Read on for all you need to know for this clash of Spanish soccer titans.
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Real Madrid just can’t stop scoring (or winning) at the moment. Ever since losing the Madrid derby 2-1 at home to Atletico, the defending European champions have reeled off five consecutive league wins, scoring a remarkable 25 goals against just three conceded. They thumped their last two opponents, Athletico Bilbao and Levante, 5-0.
[sc:Soccer240banner ]It’s no surprise to see who’s been spearheading this recent goal binge: none other than Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar has recovered fully from the lingering knee issues that caused him to start the season slowly and is currently the leading scorer in La Liga with 15 goals in seven matches.
Ronaldo has scored exactly half of Real’s league-leading 30 goals, which is eight more than their closest competitors, Barcelona. Real will be without their second-leading scorer Gareth Bale (four goals), who’s still suffering from a glute injury. Thankfully, Real is well-stocked with attacking talent and shouldn’t miss the Welsh winger too much.
Karim Benzema, in particular, just loves scoring against Barcelona at the Bernabeu. The French striker has scored in each of the last three El Clasico’s at home, including two in a losing effort last season.
However, the possible absence of their captain, central defender Sergio Ramos, would be a massive blow. Ramos has missed the last three games due to a calf injury. Not only would Real lose its leader and most experienced defender in an already shaky defense, but they would also miss Ramos’ ability to score goals from set pieces, which Barca have historically struggled to defend.
Betting on Barcelona
Luis Enrique couldn’t have dreamed of a much better start to his tenure as Barcelona manager. The former Barca player has led his club to seven wins from their first eight La Liga matches, with a goalless draw away to Malaga the lone blemish.
Barca’s South American strikeforce of Lionel Messi and Neymar have developed a lethal partnership this season which has seen them fire home 15 of the team’s 22 league goals thus far.
The much awaited third member of that holy trinity – Luis Suarez – is finally available to make his debut after serving out his ban for biting an opponent at the World Cup, but it’ll be interesting to see whether he does start and if he does, how he meshes with the team’s other two superstars.
Barca’s abundance of attacking talent is nothing new, but their suddenly-impenetrable defense has been the story of the season thus far. Through 12-plus hours of league football they’ve played to date, Barca have conceded exactly zero goals, shattering the old La Liga record for the longest time without conceding a goal to start a season.
That backline will be hard-pressed not to concede against a fearsome Real Madrid attack that’s leading the league in scoring by a wide margin. Meanwhile, Real’s defense has been far from impenetrable this season, having conceded nine goals already.
Messi and Neymar certainly know their way toward Real’s goal. Messi scored a hat-trick in this fixture last season, while Neymar scored in the home fixture as Barcelona did the double on Real. Barca have scored in every game against Real at the Bernabeu since 2006.
Writer’s Prediction
Barca give up their first goals of the season, but Messi and Neymar score goals of their own. El Clasico ends in a 2-2 draw. Create a betting account now and be part of the action in one of the most fearsome soccer derbies in the world.
