Real Madrid will tonight travel to Camp Nou & square off against Barcelona in the most celebrated rivalry of the footballing world – The El Clasico. This is the last fixture of the decade, the one which has seen many mouth-watering clashes.
Both the teams are level on points at the top of the La Liga with Barcelona currently first on superior goal difference. As the teams are inseparable in the league table, the case remains the same in the race for the golden boot. Messi & Benzema are both level on 12 goals each and lead the scoring charts in the league. The managers of both teams are under tremendous pressure to deliver domestically as well as the European front. And any slip up in a game of this stature will not bode well for either.
The match has been most awaited as it was delayed by two months after days of protest took place in Barcelona as nine Catalan separatist leaders were sentenced to jail for sedition over their role in the referendum. And now that it is finally happening fans will be hoping they get to see an exciting game of football.
Key Stats
Form Guide – Barcelona (WWWWWD) | Real Madrid (WDWWWD)
Last 5 meetings –
23 April 2017: Real Madrid 2-3 Barcelona
23 December 2017: Real Madrid 0-3 Barcelona
02 May 2018: Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid
28 October 2018: Barcelona 5-1 Real Madrid
02 March 2019: Real Madrid 0-1 Barcelona
Injuries & Suspensions
Ousmane Dembele & Arthur continue their long-term absence but Jordi Alba is expected to be back. For Real Madrid the most notable absentee will be Eden Hazard. The Belgian picked up an ankle injury in the champions league clash against Paris Saint Germain. Ferland Mendy has passed a late fitness test and the Frenchman could replace Nacho at left-back. James Rodriguez, Marco Asensio, Lucas Vasquez and Marcelo are expected to be out.
Predicted Line-ups
Barcelona: Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Nelson Semedo, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, Frenkie de Jong, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann.
Real Madrid: Thibaut Courtois, Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Ferland Mendy, Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Fede Valverde, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Rodrygo.
SportsGuru Prediction
The tie seems evenly poised on paper but Barcelona have the edge. And the edge is called ‘Lionel Messi’. The Argentine talisman has hit form at the right time & may decide the tie as he has on numerous times. We are predicting a 2-1 win for the Blaugrana.
