Barcelona v Real Madrid Betting Preview
The final big meeting of the Spanish giants for the season as they come together in Valencia for the Copa del Rey title. Both have had their stutters recently, Barcelona bowing out of the Champions League and Real Madrid playing catch up in La Liga. With Cristiano Ronaldo missing from action, will Barcelona be able to pounce?
Barcelona v Real Madrid Betting Odds at online bookmaker Bet365
Real Madrid 7/4, Barcelona 7/5, Draw 13/5
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Barcelona v Real Madrid Betting Tips:
At least they have their star player, Lionel Messi fit for the final. However, with defeat against Atletico Madrid in the quarter finals of the Champions League and then a crucial 1-0 defeat at Grenada on the weekend in the La Liga, there are question marks about the mental state of Barcelona at the moment. Are they primed for such a big match? That is back to back matches where they have failed to score and goals against Real Madrid aren’t easy to grab. Lionel Messi is trading as 8/11 favourite in the anytime goalscorer market, with Neymar at 8/5. This will be third meeting between the two giants this season and so far Barcelona have won both this term by a 1 goal margin. You don’t see anything bigger than that happening here. Would expect some goals though of course and over 2.5 is trading at 4/7 with Bet365.
Thirteen of the last four meetings in all competitions have gone over the mark, so a big trend to follow here. The last time they met in the final of the Copa del Rey was back in 2011, at the Mestalla in Valencia, and Real Madrid won out on that occasion 1-0 after extra time. The same old game is there with Barcelona at the moment, nothing has changed there, but perhaps their mentality is looking a little fragile at the moment. They still know how to dominate possession in a match and probably will do so on Wednesday night. You can be guaranteed that chances will come. Their loss at Granada on the weekend though may have cost them their shot at the La Liga title, so they may see this game as a chance at some redemption here to finish the season with a bang.
Real Madrid have kept clean sheets in all eight of their Copa del Rey matches this season, so a huge effort from them defensively. They powered their way past Atletico Madrid 5-0 on aggregate in the semi finals, which is no mean feat. But Cristiano Ronaldo’s hamstring will keep him out most likely, meaning that they will look to Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale for those moments of inspiration in front of goal. They coped fine on the weekend in winning 4-0 at home against Almeria, with Bale getting in on the scoring action. They will obviously miss the influence of Ronaldo though, but with confidence restored after a couple of setbacks in La Liga (one of them to Barcelona) and reaching the semifinals of the Champions League, Madrid will have a shot here. Would expect them to play their part in big drama, but even with Ronaldo in the side they couldnt’ get the better of their big rivals. Having him missing, does it mean an even bigger uphill struggle to post the win?
Prediction
You can never write off Barcelona in these encounters. After going on a five match winless streak against Madrid last season, they have bounced backed with two wins from two this term. Ronaldo’s absence will hinder Real a bit and a draw after 90 minutes is a big probability. Worth a shot at Barcelona 8/11 probaby for a Draw No bet though, as they will have something to prove.
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Form (all competitions)
Barcelona WWDWLL, Real Madrid LWWWLW
Stat Attack
Real Madrid have kept clean sheets in all eight of their Copa del Rey matches this term
Barcelona have won the last two meetings by a one goal margin
Lionel Messi is top scorer in the competition this season with five goals
Thirteen of the last fourteen meetings have gone over 2.5 goals
