Barcelona vs. Real Madrid La Liga Preview and Prediction
For the first time in its storied history, El Clasico could directly determine the La Liga champion when Barcelona host Real Madrid at the newly-renovated Camp Nou on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET. Barca currently sit 11 points ahead of Los Blancos with four matches to play. A win on Sunday would give the Blaugrana back-to-back La Liga crowns.
Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres scored late in Barcelona’s 2-1 triumph at Osasuna on the weekend, the club’s 10th straight victory in league play. They are also a perfect 17-0 in La Liga.
Real Madrid received a second-half brace from Vinicius Junior, who has four goals in his last three games, to blank host Espanyol on Saturday. The club is undefeated (2-0-2) in its last four league matches but has struggled in the run-in, falling desperately behind its bitter rivals.
Barcelona vs. Real Madrid Odds and Betting Trends
Barca are established favourites on the La Liga odds with a moneyline set at -163. Real are +333, and a draw is set at +400.
The total sits at 3.5 goals, with -150 to the over and +120 to the under. Real defeated Barca at home in league play in October 2-1, with Barca returning the favour in Saudi Arabia in January – winning the final of the Spanish Supercopa 3-2.
Barcelona
The hosts have been dominant at home, whether at Camp Nou or multiple other grounds while it was being renovated. Barca is 17-0, having outscored its opponents 52-9 in those matches.
Lamine Yamal, the young Spanish superstar who leads the team with 16 goals and 11 assists, is sidelined for the rest of the season with a hamstring injury. Danish defender Andreas Christiansen is also sidelined, but he may be available if needed on Sunday.
Raphina has 11 goals this season, including a brace in that January Supercopa triumph, but has been out since March with some hamstring problems. He is expected back on the weekend, but look for him to feature from the bench, if at all.
Either Lewandowski (13 goals) or Ferran Torres (15 goals) should feature up top, while any of Marcus Rashford (seven goals, seven assists), Fermin Lopez (nine assists) or Roony Bardghji could start on the flanks.
Real Madrid
After Los Blancos took the October El Clasico at the Bernabeu, they stood five points clear of Barca with a 9-1-0 record. They have gone 15-4-5 since, while Barca has gone 22-2-0.
Kylian Mbappe has a team-high 24 goals in league play, but he has been out since picking up a hamstring injury against Real Betis in late April. Federico Valverde (five goals, eight assists) is out with a concussion suffered in a training-camp row with teammate Aurelien Tchouameni – who is expected to miss the match with a suspension.
Eder Militao, Arda Guler (nine assists), Dani Carvajal, Fernand Mendy and Rodrygo are all unavailable as well, but top goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has returned to training. He is a significant upgrade over Andriy Lunin.
La Liga Prediction: Who Will Win Barcelona vs. Real Madrid?
Real Madrid hold a slight 106-105-52 edge over Barca in El Clasico’s history. That’s it. Los Blancos’ October win ended a string of four straight defeats to the Blaugrana, and they’ll be keen to not have their rivals celebrating at their expense on Sunday. However, coach Hansi Flick’s side recognizes the history at stake and will be ready to party with their supporters at Camp Nou.
All Barca needs to clinch La Liga is a draw, but look for them to go for more and win, 3-2.
