Will Barca get rid of their Champions League frustration in the Clásico?
The whole world will be watching the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday evening when the supposedly biggest football match of all is on the agenda: “El Clásico”. Real Madrid lost their last home match against FC Barcelona in March this year with a crushing 4-0 defeat. In the end, however, the Blancos secured the national championship with a 13-point lead over the Blaugrana.
In addition, the aforementioned 0:4 was one of a few slip-ups in the recent past. After all, the Madrilenians have won five of the last six Clásicos, so they are favourites going into the big clash with their arch-rivals. In the run-up to the Real Madrid-Barcelona encounter, the odds are swinging in the direction of the hosts.
Meanwhile, the starting position for this match could not be more exciting. Both teams are still unbeaten in La Liga and have taken 22 out of a possible 24 points from their first eight games. Barca are only in first place because of their better goal difference, which they could defend with a draw at the Bernabéu.
We expect a close match that will be decided primarily by the defensive lines. It is very interesting to bet on a maximum of one team scoring in the Real Madrid vs Barcelona match. In five of the last nine Clásicos, only one team scored.
Real Madrid – Statistics & current form
With 35 national championships and 19 overall Copa del Rey victories, Real Madrid are not just high flyers at national level. The 28 officially recognised UEFA and FIFA titles officially make the royals the most successful club in the world.
Accordingly, all those responsible were also satisfied when the 2021/22 season not only saw the Spanish championship won again after a titleless year, but also the 14th overall Champions League victory was recorded.
The best start in La Liga for 31 years
At the start of the new season, Real Madrid will be able to build on last season’s tremendous performance. In La Liga, only the 1-1 draw against Osasuna has left something to be desired. But the other seven league games were won. The last time the Merengues won seven of their first eight league games was in 1991/92.
Real Madrid are also unbeaten in the Champions League. They did lose their first point in a 1-1 draw with Shakhtyor Donetsk on Tuesday evening. With ten points out of a possible twelve, the Blancos are nevertheless already assured of a place in the last 16 two matchdays before the end of the group phase.
Unbeaten in 17 competitive matches all season
The aim now is to extend their unbeaten run in the prestigious Clásico. Not only have the Galacticos gone undefeated in all 13 of their competitive matches in the 2022/23 season (eleven wins, two draws), but they have also gone 17 consecutive games without defeat.
And because they have also won five of the last six Clásicos, Carlo Ancelotti’s side are favourites going into the summit clash on matchday ten.
Predicted Real Madrid line-up:
Lunin – Mendy – Alaba – Militao – Carvajal – Kroos – Tchouaméni – Modric – Júnior – Valverde – Benzema
Last matches played by Real Madrid:
Champions League Grp. F
12/10/2022 – Shakhtar Donetsk 1 – 1 Real Madrid
La Liga
09/10/2022 – Getafe 0 – 1 Real Madrid
Champions League Grp. F
06/10/2022 – Real Madrid 2 – 1 Shakhtar Donetsk
La Liga
03/10/2022 – Real Madrid 1 – 1 Osasuna Pamplona
19/09/2022 – Atletico Madrid 1 – 2 Real Madrid
Barcelona – Statistics & current form
FC Barcelona have 26 national championships, 31 Copa del Rey victories and five Champions League titles to their name. Most recently, however, the Blaugrana had to give way to the competition in the championship three times in a row.
In addition, Barca surprisingly failed to reach the Champions League preliminary round last season, which is why they have spent a lot of money on a total of 15 new players for the new season, which represents an immense risk in view of the Catalans’ financial situation.
The Champions League round of 16 must be ticked off
The week so far has been all the more bitter for the current La Liga leaders. After a surprising 1-0 defeat at Inter Milan in San Siro last week despite clear advantages, the Xavi squad could not get beyond a 3-3 draw in the second leg against the Nerazzurri.
This means that the Catalans, who have only picked up four points out of a possible twelve in Champions League Group C, will need a minor miracle to make it to the last 16 after all. In other words, the first objective of the 2022/23 season has already been missed.
Only one goal conceded from the first eight league games
It is all the more important for the Blaugrana to at least win the Clásico in order to defend their lead in the championship and prevent this season from becoming a flop. In addition to the scoring threat of Robert Lewandowski, who has already scored 14 times in twelve competitive games for Barca, the defence also speaks for the Catalans.
In La Liga, Xavi’s team has conceded only one goal in eight games, which, in turn, will boost our bet on a maximum of one team scoring in Real Madrid against Barcelona. However, the fact that three centre-backs – Araújo, Koundé and Christensen – are absent makes the task for the Catalans much more difficult.
Predicted line-up of Barcelona:
ter Stegen – Alonso – Piqué – García – Roberto – Pedri – Busquets – Gavi – Raphinha – Dembélé – Lewandowski
Last matches played by Barcelona:
Champions League Grp. C
13/10/2022 – FC Barcelona 3 – 3 Inter Milan
La Liga
10/10/2022 – FC Barcelona 1 – 0 Celta Vigo
Champions League Grp. C
05/10/2022 – Inter Milan 1 – 0 FC Barcelona
La Liga
02/10/2022 – Mallorca 0 – 1 FC Barcelona
17/09/2022 – FC Barcelona 3 – 0 Elche
Real Madrid – Barcelona Direct comparison / H2H balance
Head to head: 100 – 52 – 97
The Clásico has been played 249 times so far and the record is very even with 100 wins for the Blancos and 97 for the Blaugrana. Barca won the last Clásico 4-0, but Real Madrid had won five in a row before that.
Real Madrid – Barcelona Tip
While we basically agree with the bookmakers’ assessment that the Blancos are slight favourites. Nevertheless, it is almost impossible to make a prediction on the outcome of the match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. While the Madrilenians are unbeaten in 17 competitive matches, the Blaugrana have recently suffered serious setbacks in the Champions League and now have to concentrate all the more on La Liga.
On the one hand, the Catalans’ stable defence stands out, conceding only one goal in eight league games. On the other hand, it is striking that in five of the last nine Clásicos, at most one of the two teams scored a goal.
