La Liga: El Clasico is a Bounce-Back Game!

Barcelona vs Real Madrid

It’s the mighty Blaugrana against the Real Galacticos, it’s Lionel Messi against Sergio Ramos, it’s a clash between two teams desperate for a win… and it’s never a game to miss!

La Liga: Barcelona vs Real Madrid is one of the most hotly anticipated meetings in the world football calendar and this time is no different, but rarely is it an opportunity for both teams to bounce back from defeat, and in Real Madrid’s case, two defeats!

A 1-0 loss for both Barcelona and Real Madrid sent shock waves through the league last week and was hardly good preparation for El Clasico, or indeed a midweek date in the Champions League.

But while Barca saw off Hungarian side Ferencvarosi 5-1, Los Blancos lost to a COVID ravaged Shakhtar Donetsk; the hosts will want to carry that momentum forward while the visitors to the Camp Nou on Saturday are aiming to halt a one-week rot.

The pre-match Barcelona vs Real Madrid betting odds back a Barca win, but could Zinedine Zidane’s team really be about to lose three on the bounce?

Talking Points

Barca has the edge

Blaugrana boss Ronald Koeman is determined to show that he can guide the team he served so well as a player to glory as a head coach. He’s made a mixed start. After Barca opened up with impressive 4-0 and 3-0 wins over Villarreal and Celta Vigo, they were held to a 0-0 draw by Sevilla and completely misfired last week, falling to a shock defeat to Getafe.

The very latest SBOTOP have edged towards Barca winning the league at odds of 2.25 while Los Blancos have drifted slightly to 2.35. This weekend’s result is almost certain to shift the odds one way or the other, and if the Champions League showings are anything to go by it will be towards Catalonia.

Barca’s magician, Messi, broke yet another record during his team’s victory over Ferencvarosi on Tuesday night. He became the first player to score in 16 consecutive Champions League seasons, opening the scoring with his 116^th goal in Europe’s premier competition. The brilliant Ansu Fati, still only 17, added a second to set Barca on the way to a resounding victory, while Philippe Coutinho continued his good form with a goal. The only negative for Barca was the dismissal of Gerard Pique for a foul which led to a penalty for the Hungarians, and their only goal.

Fati is sure to start on Saturday, he has three goals already and Coutinho, returned from a year on loan at FC Bayern, has two assists and will be pushing for a place, while Antoine Griezmann, rested in midweek, is sure to feature.

Real problems for Zidane

Following the shock defeat of the season so far, a home defeat to new boys Cadiz, Real Madrid looked to make amends in the Champions League with a tie at the Santiago Bernabeu against Shakhtar. The visitors were severely depleted due to coronavirus, but they were 3-0 up before Luka Modric and Vinicius Junior sparked a comeback for Los Blancos which ultimately fell short.

It’s the first time Real have lost back-to-back home games under Zinedine Zidane but the boss is confident he can turn things around quickly, saying: “I see myself capable of fixing this, that’s what I’m going to try. The players are going to try, too. We’re going to look for the solution and we’re going to find it.”

One part of the solution is sure to be the return of skipper and centre back Sergio Ramos. He hobbled off at half time in the defeat to Cadiz and was rested in the debacle against Donetsk. Karim Benzema will return to the starting line-up to lead the attack, but ZZ is still without the injured Eden Hazard and Dani Carvajal.

History

In this most epic of all fixtures the historic Barcelona vs Real Madrid results could not be any closer. Each team has recorded 96 victories from 244 games, and while Barca have had the better of exchanges in recent seasons, winning 32 to Los Blancos’ 20 over the past 25 campaigns, Real had the bragging rights last term.

Can Vinicius Junior score another goal against Barcelona in the first El Clasico this season in La Liga? — Vinicius Junior celebrates scoring their first goal against Barcelona last season

Following a 0-0 draw at the Camp Nou, Vinicius Junior and Mariano Diaz were on target in a 2-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu as Zidane’s team went on a relentless march to the 2020 La Liga title.

But Barca are unbeaten in seven at home, and haven’t lost to Real Madrid in their last four encounters on home soil.

Betting Tip

	Barcelona vs Real Madrid	1X2 Barcelona @ 2.12
	October 24, 22:00 (GMT+8)

Real are at 3.25 to win this clash and the draw is at 3.25, but I’m backing the magical Messi to get the better of Ramos, while Ansu Fati’s current form is irresistible.

For an alternative bet – Barca First Half -0.25 @ 2.21– is worth a look.

The Blaugrana were ahead at the break in all three of their victories this season, while Real were already behind at half time in both last week’s losses.