El Clasico returns this Saturday at the unusual hour of 1300 local time with Barcelona travelling to Madrid to take on a Real side that really need to win if they are to have any realistic hope of catching the Catalan pace setters with an 11 point gap already separating the two Spanish giants in the La Liga standings. 12:00 Real Madrid vs Barcelona – Prediction 2.2
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Final Verdict - The Goals Classic Returns Barcelona can expect a particularly hostile welcome to Madrid following the recent political upheaval in Catalonia and with local elections being held in the region on Thursday, tensions should be at fever pitch with the openly pro-independent Barca sure to face the wrath of the Madridistas who will “welcome” their rivals as the newly crowned FIFA World Club Champions following their win over Gremio last weekend in Abu Dhabi. Goals are almost always guaranteed when these two sides meet with a remarkable 22 of their last 24 contests seeing BTTS with 19 of those also going over 2.5 goals and I will always take those selections when these two sides meet. Is there another fixture in top level of world football where goals at both ends are such a common occurrence? Of course, Real did win 2.0 in their last home meeting with Barca but that was only the pre-season Super Cup and was also the first time in 10 years that Barca had failed to score at the Bernabeu so a repeat here would certainly surprise with Messi and co. in excellent recent form and I can’t see any other outcome than BTTS and over 2.5 goals @4/7 odds on. Real have certainly picked up their own form lately, trouncing Sevilla 5.0 in their most recent home fixture while their triumph at the FIFA World Club Cup will have boosted their confidence further and I expect the hosts to score at least 2 goals @4/6 odds with Real managing that in 5 of their last 6 home meetings with Barcelona and in 20 of their last 23 home league matches. Ronaldo will also fancy his chances of scoring, with 8 goals in his last 7 appearances, while his winning goal in the final of the FIFA World Club Cup capped a fabulous month for the Portuguese forward who also picked up his 5th Ballon D’or a week earlier. Ronnie is 8/13 to score having done so in 5 of his last 7 appearances against Messi (in his mind) and the rest of his Catalan compadres. We should be in for a top drawer spectacle in this the greatest of footballing contests and I expect a back and forth, ding-dong, high quality match-up with plenty of goals, cards and drama, although one hopes the atmosphere or pace of the game will not be affected by that early kick-off time which is certainly rare for a game of this magnitude in Spanish football. Still, Real have to go for the win and I expect goals at both ends and I’m calling this one a high-scoring draw with BTTS and over 2.5 goals almost always nailed on in this fixture. With both sides in good form, I don't expect either side to lose and we know that a 0.0 is virtually impossible when these two sides meet. Tensions are sure to be raised in this one and a Sergio Ramos red card is not out of the question either with the Real captain seeing red 5 times in this fixture alone since 2012. 24 career red cards is really something to be strangely proud of and perhaps Ramos can add to his glittering collection in what is sure to be a hotly contested game, particularly with this being the first visit of Barcelona to Spain’s capital since their declaration of Catalan Independence in October. The home crowd will certainly let their feelings be known to a Barcelona team who have not been shy in showing their support of an independence movement that has torn at the fabric of Spanish society in recent weeks and months while you would expect a certain Gerard Pique to receive a particularly frosty reception following his out-spoken opinions on the crisis. The narrative, both from a political and sporting context really is especially tantalising and I expect a genuine Christmas cracker from the Bernabeu this Saturday lunch-time with BTTS and over 2.5 goals the best bet of the day @4/7. Excited yet? Best Bets BTTS and over 2.5 goals @4/7 – 4 stars Real to score 2 or more @4/6 – 3.5 stars Comments are closed.
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