Real Madrid vs Barcelona Prediction & Tips

Joe Vaughan 25 Oct 2024
  • Saturday will see a much-anticipated first El Clasico of the season as the La Liga leaders Barcelona head to the capital to take on their bitter rivals Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu. The clash will take place at 8pm BST on Saturday 26th October and can be watched live on Premier Sports 1 and LaLigaTV in the UK.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona Predictions

  • Full Time Result: Draw
  • Correct Score: 1-1
  • Both Teams To Score: Yes
  • Over 2.5 Goals: No
  • First Goalscorer: Raphinha

Perhaps more so than in recent years, this iconic fixture looks extremely difficult to call.

Barcelona have lost seven of the last nine El Clasicos in La Liga, so the head-to-head record is certainly in Real Madrid’s favour.

However, it is Barca who have started this campaign the stronger, with Hansi Flick’s side winning nine of their 10 league games to sit atop the La Liga table.

Both sides asserted their strength in the week, though, with Madrid fighting back from two goals down to beat Borussia Dortmund 5-2 on Tuesday and Barcelona thrashing Bayern Munich 4-1 a day later.

There is so much talent in both squads and it promises to be another thrilling encounter when the two storied rivals clash in the Spanish capital on Saturday evening.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona Tips

Tip 1

Robert Lewandowski has been Barca’s primary source of goals this season, with the Polish forward netting 15 times in 13 games, but he is yet to score in an El Clasico so it may be best to look elsewhere in the market for Saturday’s showdown, with Raphinha a prime candidate to impact proceedings in Madrid.

The form of Lewandowski and hype surrounding the brilliant Lamine Yamal has somewhat overshadowed the performances of the Brazilian, who has arguably been Barcelona’s best player this season.

Raphinha was the star in Barca’s 4-1 rout of Bayern Munich, notching a hat-trick against Flick’s former employers and he has now been involved in 15 goals in 13 matches this season.

The Brazilian is equally as likely to score as he is to provide – he has five goals and five assists in 10 league appearances this season and, having notched an assist in the last El Clasico, he is worth backing to do either on Saturday.

Tip 2

Flick will likely use Barca’s poor record in recent El Clasico’s as motivation ahead of Saturday’s clash and he could get an instant reaction out of his players as a result.

The Catalans are extremely fast starters, leading at half-time in each of their last eight wins and, having scored within the opening 10 minutes in three of their last four games, they could repeat that feat in Madrid.

However, while Los Blancos are three points worse off than their rivals, they do still have an unbeaten league record – the same cannot be said for the Blaugrana, who lost 4-2 at Osasuna last month.

With Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior having the talent to hurt any side in the world and after seeing their heroic Champions League comeback in the week, it is hard to envisage Real losing their unbeaten record even if they do fall behind early.

That makes a Barcelona/Draw selection in the Half-Time/Full-Time market an extremely appealing bet at a huge price.

Leicester vs Nottingham Forest Prediction & Tips

Inter Milan vs Juventus Prediction & Tips