Real Madrid is set to face Barcelona this weekend. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our La Liga odds series, which includes our Real Madrid-Barcelona prediction and pick we have laid out below.
Real Madrid is comfortably ahead in La Liga, but the title race is still not over. Unfortunately for Barcelona, the Catalans started the season poorly and by the time former coach Ronald Koeman was fired and Xavi was brought in, they were already a mile behind both Real Madrid and Sevilla, two primary title contenders. Still, this is the El-Clasico, and the positions on the table really do not mean a lot. It is a huge game and it should be very exciting.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Real Madrid-Barcelona La Liga odds:
La Liga Odds: Real Madrid-Barcelona Odds
Real Madrid: +130
Barcelona: +200
Draw: +240
Over: 2.5 (-154)
Under: 2.5 (+126)
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Why Real Madrid could win the El Clasico
Real Madrid are having a terrific season. They are 10 points ahead of Sevilla, and they had a gargantuan comeback against Champions League favorites PSG, powered by a Karim Benzema masterclass. Generally, this is their best post-Cristiano Ronaldo season, and the stats back it up completely. Not only are they first in the league and they avoided some massive teams in the Champions League quarterfinals draw, but they are also playing some amazing football.
Altogether, they scored 59 goals in this La Liga season, putting them at least seven goals ahead of every other club in the league. They also conceded just 21, as they shook off some early season defensive struggles to become the second-best defense in La Liga, behind Sevilla. Real Madrid also have the two best scorers and the best assister in the league. Karim Benzema has scored a whopping 22 goals, followed by Vinicius Jr, who added 14. Also, Benzema has 11 assists, while Vinicius has six.
Unfortunately for Real Madrid, however, Benzema is not going to feature in this game, but they should still have the manpower to win the game. Vinicius is there and with Sergino Dest ruled out, the right flank of the Catalans is going to be exposed. Dani Alves has been solid since arriving as a free agent, but he is nowhere near the quality he once was. Another option for Barca would be to put Ronald Araujo in that position, but that would leave two fairly slow centerbacks in Gerard Pique and likely Eric Garcia to try and help Araujo contain the rapid Vinicius. The loss of Benzema is huge, but Real Madrid has the roster to fill that gap.
Why Barcelona could win the El Clasico
Since Xavi took over the Catalans in early November of last year, they have been on a roll. Out of the 16 games played in the new year, Barcelona has lost only one and drawn four. Even the four draws, outside of the 2-2 draw at Osasuna, came against strong opponents that either have a distinct playstyle that does not suit teams like this Barcelona is, or they are Sevilla and they are fighting for a title. Thus, the form is definitely on the side of Barcelona as they will seek a positive result to potentially join in on the title race.
What Xavi has been able to do with essentially the same squad as Ronald Koeman had is absolutely amazing. Since he took over, the team is playing a style of football that is mesmerizing to watch, while also grabbing results. They have nabbed huge wins recently, beating out Atletico Madrid 4-2 at home, Valencia 4-1 away from home, putting four past a tough Athletic Bilbao squad, and progressing in the Europa League by eliminating Napoli and then Galatasaray. The turnaround of the Catalan club will be remembered for years to come, especially if they have a positive start to next season.
Of course, a huge bonus for Barcelona is that Karim Benzema is out. Even though the injury of Dest is a huge issue for them, it does not need to be highlighted that Madrid should, theoretically, suffer more by the exclusion of their best player, than Barcelona due to Dest missing this game. It will create some problems, but as Benzema is out, Barcelona might look to take control of the game and simply not give Real Madrid a chance to attack their weak spots.
Final Real Madrid-Barcelona Prediction & Pick
Due to all the circumstances, it would be difficult to make an exact prediction on the score. All football fans out there are hoping that it will be an exciting game, but with Benzema out, we might see a low-scoring affair, where one key action determines the winner. In the end, we can say that by all accounts, Real Madrid should win this game. With a win here, they could potentially seal the title race, get a huge win on the back of their comeback against PSG, and slow down their rivals. Back Real Madrid to win the El Clasico.
Final Real Madrid-Barcelona Pick: Real Madrid (+130)
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