Real Madrid v Barcelona Match Result
Real Madrid meet Barcelona exactly a year since the sides met at the Santiago Bernabeu in a Clasico encounter. On that occasion, the side from the Spanish capital were completely humbled as Barca raced away with a 4-0 victory. Four unanswered second-half goals from the Catalan side saw the home supporters leave for the exit well before the final whistle.
Indeed, it was a series of wins for Hansi Flick’s side last term who were able to engineer no less than four victories. There was a 5-2 Super Cup success before a 3-2 Copa del Rey success after extra-time. Then came an exciting 4-3 victory at the Nou Camp where Kylian Mbappe put Los Merengues into a 2-0 lead before Barcelona were able to come storming back.
Now we have a new campaign and Xabi Alonso takes charge of Real for his first Clasico as a manager. He knows how high the stakes are and the home side are warm favourites for a win. According to the La Liga betting sites, the league leaders have a 48% chance of recording a success which would put them five points clear at the top.
Real have certainly been in the winning habit thus far. Going into Wednesday’s Champions League clash against Juventus, there had been ten wins and just one defeat. It’s worth examining that loss considering it was a 5-2 mauling at the hands of Atletico Madrid. Having led 2-1, the walls crumbled in a high-staked Madrid derby.
Therefore, there is the potential for things to go wrong. Home wins have been collected against Osasuna, Mallorca, Marseille, Espanyol and Villarreal although this is a tougher assignment. There’s also something of an over-reliance on Kylian Mbappe to score the goals and the Frenchman has managed to find the net in every match bar one.
Goals Under/Over
Over 2.5 Goals tends to happen in Clasico matches. In the previous nine encounters between Real Madrid and Barcelona, there have been at least three goals. It’s very likely that this will happen again according to the latest odds. There were a minimum of four goals scored in all of the four matches between the two rivals last term.
Therefore, Over 3.5 Goals can be backed with a degree of confidence. We know that the teams will both try and get on the front foot in search of goals. There were a sum total of fourteen shots on target in the most recent Clasico encounter. There were also fourteen SOT when the sides clashed in that Super Cup clash.
You can also feel it will be a high-scoring considering that Real have scored twenty goals in nine matches, while Barcelona have found the net twenty-four times.
BTTS
One of the reasons why El Clasico encounters are so popular is the fact that they are generally high-scoring. We also see both teams trade blows and find the net at least once. In six of the past seven clashes between the two rivals, we have seen BTTS Yes come in. The only exception was that 4-0 win for Barcelona at the Bernabeu last term but we should note that Real Madrid got four shots on target, whereas there were seven for the visitors.
There’s a nearly 75% chance of both teams finding the net according to the latest betting odds. The odds of around 1.36 look initially short but the stats actually suggest that this a decent value bet. It’s the sort of wager that could be won by half-time. One way of improving this price is the combination of Full-Time Result along with BTTS Yes.
Real Madrid have only conceded twice in their four home clashes this term. Eight goals have been scored which are relatively modest numbers. However, they might need to meet fire with fire. In the five Barcelona games played on the road, we’ve seen the net bulge on nineteen occasions. Eleven goals have been scored and eight have been conceded.
First Goalscorer
Kylian Mbappe has a staggering goals return this season. Has found the net ten times in La Liga this season and has been on the scoresheet in every game in all competitions aside from the home clash against Mallorca. The 26-year-old is on eighteen goals going into the Champions League game with Juventus and it’s easy enough to consider him to score in this Clasico.
Whether it’s for his club domestically, in European competition and international football, Mbappe is the most lethal marksman in the world. If you’re placing a Clasico Bet Builder, the evidence is there that he can be included to find the net. Vinicius Junior is the ultimate wing man and can be considered at a bigger price to find the net.
Not that Barcelona are short of attacking players. Robert Lewandowski started the season injured although the Pole is working his way back to full fitness. He has six for the campaign, although it might be that Marcus Rashford is the man to break the deadlock here. He played a full game against Girona as part of a recent 2-1 win.