La Liga: Real Madrid vs Barcelona Live
Preview: Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Real Madrid vs Barcelona is set to come off on Sunday at the Bernabeu at 7:00pm as Madrid aim to extend their lead over Barca to 11 points in the La Liga standings. Both teams recently competed in the Champions League quarter-finals, with Real Madrid defeating Manchester City to reach the semi-finals, while Barcelona was eliminated by Paris Saint-Germain in a challenging second leg at home.
Differing outcomes in the Champions League quarter-finals set the stage for the final ‘El Clásico’ of the season, where Madrid have the opportunity to significantly diminish Barca’s chances of catching up in La Liga with a victory. Real Madrid, currently leading by eight points in the league and having recently advanced to the UCL semi-finals by defeating Manchester City, are in a strong position heading into the 257th competitive match against their rivals.
With a streak of four consecutive La Liga victories at home without conceding a goal and averaging 2.75 goals per game, Madrid will be backed by a confident Bernabéu crowd. The team has also won three of the last four home league matches against Barca. Fans were reassured by coach Carlo Ancelotti’s statement that the squad is in good physical condition following the demanding penalty shootout victory over Manchester City.
Barcelona, who were left frustrated by the refereeing in their recent 4-1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain, now have an extra day to prepare for their upcoming match. They are focusing on their struggling title defense and are bringing a ten-game unbeaten streak in La Liga to the Bernabéu. The team is aware of the threat posed by Madrid, especially after their recent losses to them. Xavi, the manager, is looking to leave on a high note with a win in what is expected to be his final derby in charge.
Head-to-head
Real Madrid won their last two games against Barcelona, with a 1-2 victory in their previous encounter and a 4-1 win in the Spanish Cup. This extended their winning streak to two games. In their last five matches against Barcelona, Real Madrid scored 11 goals and conceded 7. Barcelona had a three-match winning streak against Real Madrid before losing their most recent match at the same venue.
Prediction
There hasn’t been a league draw between these two teams since December 2019, but we predict a tie this weekend. Both teams had intense European matches recently, and since Real Madrid doesn’t necessarily need to win, we think the points might be split at Bernabeu.
