Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi have now left La Liga taking a lot of magic surrounding the El Clasico with them, but it’s still a special fixture and we’ll see this season’s first edition on Sunday as Real Madrid travel to Camp Nou.
Meetings between the two are always feisty affairs and referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez will likely have a busy night. Bookmaker 10Bet has the odds at 2.05 for Barcelona to collect the most cards and at 2.20 for Real to get the most bookings.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: October 22nd, 1:00 P.M. (EST)
It’s been a big struggle for Barcelona without Messi this season, but they have picked up some momentum ahead of the big game winning back-to-back outings. Ronald Koeman’s side came from behind to beat Valencia 3-1 in the last league fixture and a Gerard Pique goal was enough to beat Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League midweek.
The Blaugrana are now looking to win three straight games across all competitions for the first time since April. They are also aiming to end a four-game winless run in the El Clasico.
Real did the league double over Barcelona last season and Los Blancos have failed to win just once in the past four meetings. Carlo Ancelotti’s team took a pair of poor results ahead of the international break, but they bounced back in style by beating Shakthar Donetsk 5-0 on the road in the Champions League.
Vinicius Junior had a wonderful game on Tuesday with two goals and one assist while Karim Benzema notched another goal. He now boasts 11 goals in as many appearances in all competitions this season while also adding eight assists. The veteran forward is having a superb campaign and is set to be one of the stars of the show on Sunday.
Barcelona will look to the likes of Memphis Depay and Ansu Fati to produce a match-winning moment. The latter has returned from injury with two goals and one assist in just 94 minutes of La Liga action, and he should be in a great mood ahead of the clash after penning a lengthy contract extension with the club at the start of the week.
With Fati back in the team and Sergio Agüero having recently made his team debut, Koeman suddenly has plenty of attacking options at his disposal. However, the defense has received a blow with Ronald Araujo having picked up a hamstring injury. Jordi Alba is also doubtful for Sunday with an ankle problem.
Real are set to get Dani Carvajal and Eden Hazard back into the squad. Benzema and Vinicius Junior have pretty much carried the offense on their own in the league this season, so having Hazard available for selection will be huge for Ancelotti who’s recorded three wins, three draws and five defeats in his previous 11 matchups against Barca.
