Sunday 28th October 1515hrs Barcelona v Real Madrid Football – Spain – La Liga It’s become the biggest club game in world football and will draw interest from all around the globe. It’s due its own popularity that we are becoming more accustomed to watching it in the afternoon due to ensuring that as much of the massive worldwide audience can watch it live. Barca sit top of the table but there is a pack of clubs in pursuit of them, however their weekend opponents will feel they’re not close enough. They’re still very much in touching distance though making Sunday’s game a must see. Continue reading for a match preview of El Clasico as Barcelona host Real Madrid, with a best bet selected.
Barcelona were runaway winners of La Liga in Ernesto Valverde’s first season and they also picked up another Copa Del Rey for good measure. It wasn’t also positive, though, with a really disappointing exit in the quarter finals of the Champions League, continuing their poor recent record in that competition. Expectations at the beginning of this season were very much the same – continued success domestically and ensuring a better challenge in Europe. Barca sit top of La Liga once again but it’s not been a vintage start and their run heading into the most recent international break seen them draw three and lose one in the four games leading up to the break. There has been improvement on their return to action in two very important games, winning 4-2 at home to Sevilla in the league before getting past Inter Milan in midweek to maintain their 100% record in the Champions League and putting them within touching distance of qualifying for the knockout phase. Lionel Messi’s absence has been well documented and he will of course be a big miss in a fixture he relishes playing in but the win over Inter will have given confidence to the whole squad that they need not solely rely on their captain.
Real Madrid are known for breaking records and most of them are lauded and very welcome but they made history for the wrong reasons last week. Their failure to score in the first 55 minutes of last weekend’s defeat to Levante meant it was the longest run in the club’s history without scoring a goal. The run spanned more than four full games and it has heaped even more coverage on the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus in the summer without bringing in superstar replacement. Ronaldo was so often the match winner and he scored goals at will year after year. Julen Lopetegui is now under serious pressure as a result of his team’s stuttering start to the season which has seen Real win just four of their first nine games in La Liga. There seems to be a couple of things keeping him in a job at the moment with the first of those being they’re only four points off Barca in first and also, the senior players appear to be very supporting of their head coach. Real Madrid as a club are not known for the patience however and defeat on Sunday would certainly ask the question whether or not Lopetegui is the right man to stay in charge.
Barcelona v Real Madrid Betting Tip
This will be the first El Clasico that has not featured one of Ronaldo or Messi since December 2007 which is testament to how much of an association those two outstanding talents have to this fixture. There’s no denying that the game itself loses something without them as part of it but the rivalry is still very much the same and the need for points is just as big. For all it’s been a decidedly dodgy start to life as Real’s coach for Lopetegui, a win on Sunday would see them go to within a point of Barcelona. His opposite number is undefeated in this fixture in the league and will be hoping that home advantage gives Barca the edge once again.
Real have enjoyed plenty of success recently at the Nou Camp and have not lost in any of their last five visits. Granted it remains to be seen how they are under the new coach but the players themselves should have no fear heading into – particularly with their hosts missing Messi. It was workmanlike for both teams in Europe without ever excelling but if there is to be a winner in this game then you sense that one team will have to step up another level. I am not interested in backing either of these teams to get the victory with so much uncertainty around Real and Barca not being at full strength. Instead, I think we can take advantage of this being the first El Clasico which will feature VAR. I had originally toyed with the idea of backing there to be a sending off but I think a penalty being awarded is actually more likely. There is so much needle involved in this match and set pieces are akin to wrestling bouts at times. We saw at the World Cup how much VAR can influence atches and with so much attention and focus on the game, this seems a worthwhile punt.
Selection: Penalty to be awarded 2/1 @ William Hill
