Will Benzema shoot Barça back into crisis in the Clasico?
In Spain, the match of the matches is coming up: On the 10th matchday of La Liga, the two Spanish arch-rivals FC Barcelona and Real Madrid meet on Sunday afternoon (16:15).
As always, there is a lot of prestige at stake, and as always, it is a duel of equals in advance, where there is very rarely a clear favourite.
Barcelona vs. Real Madrid are almost traditionally very evenly matched. This is of course due to the fact that anything can happen to both teams – also because the form of both clubs in recent weeks is not exactly exhilarating and inconsistent performances have been the order of the day.
At least during the week in the Champions League, both Barça and Real were able to tank up some self-confidence, the one more than the other. While Real won easily at Shakhtar Donetsk, Barcelona trembled much more against Dynamo Kiev. The Clasico as a duel of the stricken, that’s how you could describe the whole thing.
Barcelona – Statistics & current form
Betting on Barcelona vs. Real Madrid has not been worthwhile lately: Three Clasico defeats in a row for the Blaugrana. That’s why Barça will be really keen to finally get three points against their arch-rivals again, especially as they have a home game and lost the last one 1:3.
However, the form is a little worrying. Although Barcelona managed to win both the Champions League (1-0 vs. Dynamo Kiev) and a reassuring 3-1 home victory over Valencia in the league this English week, the performances left a lot to be desired.
Barça still struggling – to finish with astonishingly poor Clasico record at Camp Nou
Particularly against Kiev, the performance was rather lacklustre and therefore not necessarily encouraging ahead of Sunday’s clash with Real Madrid. But Barcelona should have gained a little self-confidence from their two victories in a row. After all, there were two goalless defeats in a row before the international break (0:3 at Benfica Lisbon, 0:2 at Atletico Madrid), which had noticeably dented the self-confidence of the proud Catalans.
Therefore, it comes as little surprise that the betting odds on a home win for Barcelona against Real Madrid are an extremely lucrative 2.70 on average. These are high odds for the home team from the Catalan coastal metropolis, which, however, has only won one of its last eight home games in the Clasico at the Camp Nou.
Once again, this statistic illustrates extremely well why the Clasico is such an unpredictable encounter.
Predicted line-up of Barcelona:
Ter Stegen – Mingueza, Piqué, Garcia, Alba – Busquets, De Jong, Roberto – Dest, Depay, Fati
Last matches played by Barcelona:
Champions League Grp. E
10/20 2021 – Barcelona 1 – 0 Dynamo Kiev
LaLiga
10/17 2021 – Barcelona 3 – 1 Valencia
10/02 2021 – Atletico Madrid 2 – 0 Barcelona
Champions League Grp. E
09/29 2021 – Benfica 3 – 0 Barcelona
LaLiga
09/26 2021 – Barcelona 3 – 0 Levante
Real Madrid – Statistics & current form
While rivals Barcelona struggled to a 1-0 win over Dynamo Kiev at the Camp Nou, Real Madrid celebrated an easy win in Kiev: 5-0 at Shakhtar Donetsk (who, as is well known, have been playing in Kiev for some time), an easy walk in which Real were able to boost their self-confidence and even save their strength.
Real, too, were in dire need of this self-confidence boost, however, as the Madrilenians had experienced a real horror week before the international break, in which they suffered two defeats and a draw in three games (0:0 against Villarreal, 1:2 against Sheriff Tiraspol, 1:2 at Espanyol Barcelona).
Real Madrid: Strong Clasico dress rehearsal and good Clasico record recently
Real’s matchday 9 game against Athletic Bilbao was unceremoniously postponed due to the South American internationals, which is why the 5-0 win over Donetsk was also an extremely well-done Clasico dress rehearsal that came just in time.
At the Camp Nou and against Barcelona in general, Real Madrid have felt anything but uncomfortable lately. Real Madrid have won all three of their last Clasicos and have not lost at the Camp Nou three times in a row.
So it is not necessarily surprising that the odds on Barcelona vs. Real Madrid are even slightly in favour of the visitors from the Spanish capital – and at the same time are extremely lucrative.
In the Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, betting on the away win brings strong 2.50. Karim Benzema could ensure that Real’s strong streak continues. The Frenchman is in great form: Benzema has scored eleven goals in eleven matches so far, and in La Liga alone he has scored a whopping nine times in eight games.
Predicted Real Madrid line-up:
Courtois – Nacho, Militao, Alaba, Mendy – Casemiro, Kroos, Modric – Rodrygo, Benzema, Vinicius Jr.
Last matches played by Real Madrid:
Champions League Grp. D
10/19 2021 – Shakhtar Donetsk 0 – 5 Real Madrid
LaLiga
10/03 2021 – Espanyol 2 – 1 Real Madrid
Champions League Grp. D
09/28 2021 – Real Madrid 1 – 2 FC Sheriff
LaLiga
09/25 2021 – Real Madrid 0 – 0 Villarreal FC
09/22 2021 – Real Madrid 6 – 1 Mallorca
Barcelona – Real Madrid Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
A duel could hardly be more steeped in tradition. There have already been a staggering 247 Clasicos, and the balance is currently very close in the direction of Real Madrid, who have won one more game. Real has won 98 matches, while Barcelona has won 97 and drawn 52.
The Madrilenians have recently won three matches in a row. Last season they won 3-1 at the Camp Nou and 2-1 at home.
Barcelona – Real Madrid tip
The stakes are high in the match of the games in Spain: Ronald Koeman, in particular, cannot afford a Clasico defeat, otherwise the FC Barcelona coach will find himself right back in the firing line, and could even face the sack if things go mightily wrong against their arch-rivals on Sunday.
The situation in Catalonia has been tense for weeks. The looseness is currently lacking in the crisis-ridden Barça, which was also noticeable in the shaky 1:0 against Kiev. Madrid were much more relaxed in their 5-0 win in the Champions League.
Since Barca have been shaky and looked battered lately – even in their victories – and Karim Benzema in particular is in outstanding form, we believe in an away win for the visitors, including the obligatory Benzema goal. Therefore, our prediction for Barcelona vs. Real Madrid is: Real win and Benzema scores
