It's the El Clasico once again! FC Barcelona (21-2-2) clashes with Real Madrid (17-5-3) to close Round 26 of Spain's La Liga! Catch the La Liga odds series here, featuring our Barcelona-Real Madrid prediction and pick.
After a defeat to Manchester United in the Europa League and to Almeria in Spain's top flight, Barca heads back to the Spotify Camp Nou to extend their winning streak to four. Barca hopes to split the league double against their fiercest rivals.
Madrid lost their first game this March against today's hosts in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. Los Blancos hopes to extend its three-game unbeaten run. This run is highlighted by their 1-0 win against Liverpool to score 6-2 on an aggregate, kicking the English club out of the Champions League.
Here are the Barcelona-Real Madrid soccer odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
La Liga Odds: Barcelona-Real Madrid Odds
FC Barcelona: +115
Real Madrid: +220
Draw: +240
Over 2.5 Goals: -116
Under 2.5 Goals: -106
How to Watch Barcelona vs. Real Madrid
TV: DAZN, ESPN Deportes
Stream: DirecTV Stream, ESPN+, fuboTV
Time: 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT
*Watch soccer LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Barcelona Can Beat Real Madrid
FC Barcelona remains the leader of Spanish domestic football, earning 65 of the possible 75 points. After a defeat and exit from the Europa League, the Blaugrana lost to relegation candidate Almeria in the Estadio del Mediterraneo. Barca bounced back with wins over Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey, as well as to Valencia and Athletic Bilbao La Liga. Barcelona is poised to maintain their 10-2-0 standing at home, the best in the league.
The Blaugrana will look to find optimistic results as today’s hosts. Barca definitely knows how to outplay the Whites, winning two of the previous three El Clasicos. Those two wins came this year, which feature Barca capturing the Spanish Super Cup and a 1-0 win in the Bernabeu in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semis. Barca is proud to have Robert Lewandowski, who leads La Liga with 15 goals and he is the joint club leader in assists with Ousmane Dembele with five. Raphinha has 10 goal contributions for the Catalan outfit. Young stars are also rising for the team, like Pedri with six goals, Ansu Fati with six goal involvements, Alejandro Balde with four dimes, and Gavi with two assists.
Spanish coach Xavi will not see Pedri and Dembele on the pitch for this fixture. Lewandowski will be partnering with Gavi and Raphinha up front. Frenkie De Jong might also push for a start; he will be joined by Sergio Busquets and Franck Kessie in the midfield. Barca is averaging 14.8 total shots, 10.3 successful dribbles, and 5.9 corner kicks per game.
Marc Andre Ter Stegen will see another start, and the backline of Alejandro Balde, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araujo, and Jules Kounde will be there to form a defensive wall. As a team, Barca makes averages of 14.4 tackles, 7.4 interceptions, 11.4 clearances, and 2.0 saves per game
Why Real Madrid Can Beat Barcelona
The Los Blancos followed their 5-2 outing in Anfield with good results. They drew with Atletico Madrid and Real Betis in Spain’s top flight and secured wins against Espanyol and Liverpool again to kick them out of the Champions League. However, they lost the El Clasico to Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals, where Robert Lewandowski, Pedri, and Ousmane Dembele were absent. Real Madrid looks to improve their 9-1-3 record on the road, the second-best mark in La Liga.
They are hoping to retain their La Liga title despite a nine-point gap by Barcelona. Madrid is second in Spain's La Liga, tallying 17 wins and five draws in 25 games. They have found the back of the net 50 times while conceding only 19 goals. They still need to have that laser-sharp focus to win the Champions League and La Liga silverware; they already have the UEFA Super Cup against Europa League champions Eintracht Frankfurt and the Club World Cup earned against finalists Al-Hilal Saudi.
This will be the fourth of the five El Clasicos slated this year. The next one will be in the second leg of the Copa del Rey. Real Madrid has only won one this campaign, which was s a 3-1 victory in the Bernabeu. Real Madrid would need to find the aggression they have shown all season long to secure the league double against the current leaders in Spain. Karim Benzema leads the team with 11 goals while Rodrygo tops in assists with five. Vinicius Junior and Federico Valverde have 12 and nine goal involvements, respectively. Marco Asensio also has eight goal contributions.
Alvaro Rodriguez will serve his suspension in this game, while David Alaba has a doubtful status. Carlo Ancelotti will continue to deploy Federico Valverde, Karim Benzema, and Vinicius Junior in Madrid’s front. Aurelien Tchouameni, Toni Kroos, and Eduardo Camavinga are set to take the midfield. The Vikings would need to pull off more than the 17.5 shots, 6.0 corner kicks, and 60.2% ball possession rate against their tight rivals.
Final Barcelona-Real Madrid Prediction & Pick
The previous El Clasico to open up in the month of March was a low-scoring one. Expect both teams to press the attack and deliver numerous goals. No clean sheet is expected in this match, but the hosts have slightly better form than the visitors.
Final Barcelona-Real Madrid Prediction & Pick: FC Barcelona (+115), Over 2.5 goals (-116)