Barcelona vs Real Madrid
Time – India: 7:30 PM (Saturday); UK: 3:00 PM (Saturday)
Venue: Camp Nou
Referee: Juan Martinez Munuera
The day is almost upon us. The day when Spanish football stands still in anticipation of what’s to come. The day when the two most illustrious clubs in Spain go head to head, doing their best to one-up the other. The Classic — ‘El Clasico’ — is almost upon us.
The hosts of the first Clasico of the 2020/21 season, Barcelona, haven’t been at their best lately. Fortunately for them, neither have Real Madrid. Both Goliaths have recently been beaten by high-spirited Davids and are eager to return to winning ways in the most obnoxious fashion.
Star-studded, action-packed, and full of potential — Saturday’s Clasico certainly promises plenty.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Head-to-head
Total matches: 244
Barcelona wins: 96
Real Madrid wins: 96
Draws: 52
Barcelona and Real Madrid are dubbed as two of the greatest teams in the history of the sport and deservedly so. Thanks to their contrasting ideologies — on the pitch and off it — their tussles have always been a little more intense than other rivalries in Spain.
They’ve played 244 games against each other in all competitions and always add a dash of uncertainty in the mix. Real Madrid and Barcelona have both won 96 times each, with 52 Clasicos ending in draws.
Los Blancos were the victors when the teams last met, securing a 2-0 win at the Santiago Bernabeu in March.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Recent form
Barcelona: W-L-D-W-W (Most recent first)
Real Madrid: L-L-W-W-W (Most recent first)
Propelled by Ronald Koeman’s arrival, the Blaugrana recorded two successive wins over Villarreal and Celta Viga, securing 4-0 and 0-3 victories respectively.
In the next two games, however, they only managed to pick up a single point out of the available six — a 1-1 draw against Sevilla followed by a 1-0 defeat at Getafe.
But the Blaugrana started their Champions League campaign with a 5-1 win over Hungarian club Ferencvárosi TC.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, started the season with a 0-0 draw at Real Sociedad. Disappointed by the goalless draw, they bounced back with three consecutive wins in the division.
However, just like Barcelona, their efforts were left undone in the last La Liga matchday, as they had to endure a harrowing 0-1 home defeat to newly-promoted Cadiz.
Los Blancos then lost their first Champions League of the season – going down 3-2 against Shakhtar Donetsk at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Team news
Barcelona
Barcelona won’t have the services of first-choice short stopper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, of course, who is still recovering after his knee surgery.
Jordi Alba, who picked up a hamstring injury earlier this month, has returned to training and is cleared to play the match. But defender, Samuel Umtiti, will miss the crunch fixture with a knee injury.
Absentees: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Samuel Umtiti
Real Madrid
Real Madrid, too, have quite a few injury concerns and would miss several players. Eden Hazard, Dani Carvajal, Martin Odegaard, and Alvaro Odriozola are all ruled out.
Mariano Diaz is still recovering from Tonsillitis. The player has reportedly lost too much muscle mass and could take a while to get back into shape. Captain Sergio Ramos picked up a knock in the defeat against Cadiz but should be fit to feature at Camp Nou.
Absentees: Eden Hazard, Dani Carvajal, Martin Odegaard, Alvaro Odriozola, Mariano Diaz
Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Probable XI
Barcelona: Neto; Roberto, Lenglet, Pique, Dest; Pjanic, De Jong; Fati, Coutinho, Griezmann; Messi;
Real Madrid: Courtois; Nacho, Ramos, Varane, Mendy; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Vinicius, Benzema, Asensio;
Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Where to watch
India: No Telecast
UK: La Liga TV (Premier Sports)
Stream in India: Facebook Watch on Facebook
Stream in the UK: Premier Sports Player
Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Prediction
Real Madrid and Barcelona have the privilege of fielding some of the most decorated footballers on the planet. These players, even when not at their best, can produce something extraordinary with little to no effort.
It’s true that neither team look as ruthless as they’re supposed to. However, that shouldn’t necessarily stop us from having a nail-biting Clasico — especially when there’s practically nothing to separate the two. Yes, the quality probably won’t be jaw-dropping, but we’re certain to see some spills and chills along the way.
We believe there will be plenty of chances, but very few would come close to finding the back of the net. We predict a stalemate in the first Clasico of the season.
Barcelona vs Real predicted scoreline: 1-1