Tonight sees one of the most highly anticipated matches of the football calendar, Real Madrid v Barcelona, otherwise known as El Clasico, with some of the planets greatest players on show it always has the potential to be thrilling footballing spectacle.
Tonight’s Real Madrid v Barcelona match Kicks off at 17:15GMT in the Santiago Bernabéu and is the 230th competitive match between the two giants, it’s also quite possibly the fiercest of rivalries, you can find our predictions below.
Real Madrid v Barcelona Odds
Madrid – 6/4
Barca – 9/5
Draw – 11/4
El Clasico Preview
Barcelona go in to this encounter just 3 points ahead of Real Madrid in the current La Liga standings and are the reigning champions, but with Rafinha out for the season and doubts over Rkitic’s fitness there are minor selection issues for Luis Enrique, though having trained with the squad this week Lionel Messi is set to make the bench.
But when you have Neymar and Suarez to call upon how much can you really miss Messi? His absence has seen Enrique try a few different formations but it’s likely that he’ll pair Neymar and Suarez with Munir in a front three, after all Munir has earned it with some battling displays.
Real Madrid have fewer issues with Benzema the only doubt, whilst Bale, Ronaldo and Ramos avoiding international duty can only be a plus, but Karim being out does pose a few selection headaches for Rafa.
Does he play Rodriguez and Isco up top? The feeling is that with a week off Benitez will select the fresher pairing of Bale and Ronaldo to spearhead the attack.
Defensively Real are solid, having only conceded seven goals, second only to their neighbours Atletico, they also top the scoring charts edging out Barca by one goal. Despite this Rafa Benitez has come under some seriously unnecessary pressure from the fans and sections of the media.
Having only lost one game so far this season, their last outing at Sevilla, the fans are getting restless with what they perceive as defensive tactics, and with rumours of dressing room unrest in the media Real appear to be in a bad way.
Barcelona on the other hand appear to have found the perfect balance of late, with only one goal conceded in six and Neymar scoring potential Puskas Award winning dream goals, now might not be the best time to take on the Barca.
Our Prediction
Despite their tight defences there has to be goals in this game, especially as the most prolific scorers in the game will be on the same turf, but we still expect this to be a close affair.
Barca are flying at the moment and were yet to see how Real bounce back from their only defeat of the season, but this is the El Clasico and form is only ever as good as your next performance, if you can’t get yourself motivated for this match then there is something seriously wrong with you.
With the home fans set to put their concerns to one side the atmosphere is going to be electric, we feel that support combined with the hunger of the Real players to win this fixture could just prove the turning point for a Madrid victory.
Real to win & both teams to score – 3/1
Suarez First Goal Scorer – 5/1
Over 2.5 Goals – 1 / 2