Will the Catalan unbeaten streak last through the Clásico?
On Saturday, it’s that time again at kickoff time of 16:15. Possibly the biggest match in the world of club soccer is on the agenda: “El Clásico”. The Catalans will not be hosting their archrivals at the venerable Camp Nou, but at the Olímpic Lluís Companys. Whether this will influence the betting on Barcelona against Real Madrid in any way is one of the aspects to be analyzed in this article.
At any rate, it is clear that Real Madrid currently has a very narrow lead in the standings. The Blancos won only one of their last three away games in La Liga (one draw, one defeat), but have won all of their remaining seven games of the 2023/24 season, putting them on 25 points. So if the prediction of a point win for the royals at Barcelona against Real Madrid is correct, the Merengues would stay ahead of the Catalans in the standings.
However, FC Barcelona is the only team to remain completely unbeaten in La Liga after ten games in the 2023/24 season (seven wins, three draws). The Blaugrana have been particularly convincing at the Olímpic Lluís Companys alternative stadium, where they have won all five of their La Liga home games, scoring 12 goals to 2. So the home advantage certainly plays a role.
However, betting on the Catalans involves a high degree of risk. It is much less risky to predict that there will be more goals than not when two of the best teams in Europe clash, whose players can convert their individual class into goals at any time, even out of nowhere. We therefore switch to betting that both teams will score in the Clásico.
Barcelona – statistics & current form
Fc Barcelona did suffer some setbacks in the 2022/23 season, such as the 4-0 home defeat to Real Madrid in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals, which gave the archrivals a ticket to the final. Added to this was the second preliminary round exit in the Champions League in a row.
At least in La Liga, however, the Blaugrana secured the national championship in spite of losing the Clásico 3-1 in the first leg, thanks in part to a 2-1 home win over the Royals in the second leg. In the end, they were ten points ahead of the Blancos.
The only team still unbeaten in La Liga
For the new season, the Catalans not only want to once again be ahead in league play, but also attack again in the other competitions. In the Champions League, nothing has been burning so far. In Group H, Barca won all three of its preliminary round matches, scoring 8:1 goals, and is on course for the round of 16.
At the same time, the Blaugrana are the only team to remain unbeaten in La Liga over the first ten match days (seven wins, three draws). However, because the away games at Getafe (0-0), Mallorca (2-2) and Granada (2-2) only resulted in draws, the team’s tally of 24 points out of a possible 30 is still only good enough for third place.
15 points from a possible 15 with 12:2 goals at home
Now, however, the Catalans have it a bit in their own hands in the Clásico. If the home side wins the game against Real Madrid, Xavi’s side would at least overtake the Blancos.
The home record is clearly in favor of the Blaugrana, who have won all five league games of the 2023/24 season with 12:2 goals at the Olímpic Lluís Companys, where the home games are currently being played due to the renovation work at Camp Nou. This makes Barca the team with the strongest home record in La Liga.
Predicted Barcelona lineup:
Real Madrid – statistics & current form
Real Madrid had to settle for their 20th Copa del Rey title at the end of the 2022/23 season, having previously failed to win it for nine years. In La Liga and the Champions League, however, another triumph failed to materialize in the end.
While winning the trophy always requires at least a little bit of luck, the Blancos are determined to avoid losing out to their archrivals from Catalonia again, at least in La Liga.
Won three of the last four Clásicos in Barcelona
With ten league games completed, the Merengues are already on record for their first defeat, falling to their city rivals Atlético 3-1 in the Derbi Madrileno. However, the Royals picked up 25 points out of a possible 27 from their other nine games.
The bottom line is that the white ballet currently leads the table, which it now has to defend at the Olímpic Lluís Companys. Quite easily, however, the odds of the bookmakers speak against the Blancos in Barcelona against Real Madrid, although three of the last four guest games in Barcelona brought a Clásico victory (one defeat).
Won only one of last three away games in La Liga
One thing that speaks against the Merengues is that they have failed to win two of their last three away games in La Liga (one draw, one loss). For Real Madrid, on the other hand, speaks that it continued to run smoothly in the Champions League.
During the week, a 2-1 victory in Braga was achieved while sparing key players such as Toni Kroos and David Alaba. This means that the royals are already on nine points in Group C with Union Berlin and SSC Napoli and have set the course for entry into the knockout phase at the Bergfest. All the more focus can now be placed on the groundbreaking Clásico.
Predicted Real Madrid lineup:
Barcelona – Real Madrid Direct comparison / H2H balance
Head to head: 100 – 52 – 102
El Clásico” has already taken place 254 times and the record between the two clubs is almost completely balanced. Real Madrid has a razor-thin lead in the head-to-head comparison with 102 victories. However, the Blancos have lost four of the last six Clásicos (two wins). But: In three of the last four guest games in Barcelona, the royals prevailed in the end (one defeat).
Barcelona – Real Madrid tip
The close situation between the two arch-rivals, who are very close to each other in the table, is also shown by the fact that the bookmakers are offering balanced betting odds on Barcelona against Real Madrid. It is possible that nuances will decide in the end, which makes it incredibly difficult to decide on a winner. Even the Champions League games won by both sides during the week were conducted in such a way that neither team was looking at their cards ahead of one of the most important matches of the year.
Also, because predicting the outcome of Barcelona vs. Real Madrid involves far too much risk, we’re switching to betting that both teams will score in the 255th Clásico in history.
