Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the La Liga match.
On Saturday, one of the most anticipated fixtures of the football season takes place—El Clasico. Anything can happen in this match, and today we delve deeper into the forms of both teams.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid's primary concern is injuries. They pulled off a dramatic comeback against Borussia Dortmund (5:2) in midweek, after trailing 0:2 at halftime. However, this effort came at a cost, with injuries to key attacking player Rodrygo Goes and first-choice goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, both expected to miss the clash against Barcelona. Defender Dani Carvajal, another crucial player, is also sidelined, not to mention the absence of fellow defender David Alaba. As we can see, they are missing players across almost every line, which is bound to impact their performance.
Barcelona
Barcelona, on the other hand, come into the match in superb form, winning four matches in a row with an aggregate score of 17:2. In their last outing, they comfortably dispatched Bayern Munich (4:1) at home. It's noteworthy that midfielder Pablo Gavi has finally recovered from a cruciate ligament injury and is regaining form with increased playing time. Additionally, one of the top forwards at the moment, Robert Lewandowski, has netted eight goals in these four matches.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Prediction
Bookmakers have the hosts as the favourites, but history tells us that the visitors have often left with all three points. For instance, in their last eight La Liga meetings at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Catalans have claimed victory four times. Barcelona are in top form this time around and, unlike Real Madrid, do not face the same issues with their lineup. We believe that Barcelona will at least avoid defeat in this game, but one could even take a risk and bet on a clean victory for the visitors. For a safer bet, we recommend something in between—a zero handicap.
