The two giants of Spanish football this Wednesday commence an intense period that will see Barcelona and Real Madrid meet three times in less than a month. The first match is the Copa del Rey Semi-Final 1st Leg at Camp Nou as the Catalan giants aim to win the competition for the fifth straight year. Barcelona had dropped points the previous day with Valencia showing Real Madrid just how you can get at Ernesto Valverde’s side. Los Che posed big problems on the break for Barca and left Camp Nou with a 2-2 draw. There had been talk amongst senior figures at Barcelona that they’d be better off almost sacrificing the Copa del Rey this season but having been paired with Real Madrid, they’ve little but to choice to go all-out for the cup now and the manner of their 6-1 comeback win in last week’s Quarter-Final 2nd Leg against Sevilla suggests they are certainly in the mood for another domestic double. Since the turn of the year, Barcelona have actually created fewer Expected Goals than their opponents in 5 of their 9 matches. That’s also a clear sign that things aren’t quite ticking perfectly for the Catalans and with Los Blancos coming into form and actually boasting a decent recent record on this ground before their mauling earlier in the season, backing Real Madrid Double Chance appeals.
Going for Karim Benzema to score anytime also looks good. He has been Real’s star player in recent weeks and over the whole season in truth. Despite his reputation as not a great goalscorer, he has 18 for the season already in all competitions including 6 in his last 4 matches. Backing over 2.5 goals and both teams is another bet that invariably lands in the Clasico and there are reasonably appealing odds available here. 70% of the clasicos in domestic competition this decade have seen three or more scored with both teams on target and clear favourites Barcelona have only kept once clean sheet in their last 5 matches.
Barcelona come into Wednesday's match in good form, leading La Liga by some margin, making good progress in all other competitions and having achieved a notable comeback against Sevilla in the last round of the Copa del Rey last round, winning 6-1. Real Madrid are recovering well after a bad start of season and are increasing in confidence so this could be a tough match for Barcelona, as these games normally are. But Barcelona remain stronger now and I expect them to win and take a good lead into the second leg, on their way to the Copa del Rey Final. They have been much more consistent than their great rivals so far this season.
Les fans de football espagnol vont être ravis en ce mois de février. Avec les prochaines affiches de la Ligue des Champions, un double Clasico est venu s’ajouter à la liste. On se souvient de la victoire 5-1 des Catalans à la fin du mois d’octobre dernier en championnat. Cette rencontre a vu le limogeage de Julen Lopetegui qui a été remplacé par Santiago Solari. Le technicien argentin saura t-il trouver les bons arguments pour inquiéter le Barça ? Réponse ce mercredi soir. Pour notre pronostic, on mise sur un succès étriqué du Barça. Mais succès tout de même.
C'est une toute autre affiche qui va opposer les deux équipes en comparaison au match de championnat qui s'est déroulé en octobre et qui a vu le Barça écraser Madrid 5-1. Aujourd'hui, les Madrilènes vont beaucoup mieux et ont retrouvé leurs esprits et le chemin des filets grâce à leur atout n°1 Benzema. Mais les Catalans sont toujours aussi redoutables et continuent de faire cavalier seul en tête du championnat. C'est un match animé qui devrait se dérouler au Camp Nou et on parierait bien sur un match nul pour cette manche aller. Avec des buts.
The two giants of Spanish football this Wednesday commence an intense period that will see Barcelona and Real Madrid meet three times in less than a month. The first match is the Copa del Rey Semi-Final 1st Leg at Camp Nou as the Catalan giants aim to win the competition for the fifth straight year.
Barcelona had dropped points the previous day with Valencia showing Real Madrid just how you can get at Ernesto Valverde’s side. Los Che posed big problems on the break for Barca and left Camp Nou with a 2-2 draw. There had been talk amongst senior figures at Barcelona that they’d be better off almost sacrificing the Copa del Rey this season but having been paired with Real Madrid, they’ve little but to choice to go all-out for the cup now and the manner of their 6-1 comeback win in last week’s Quarter-Final 2nd Leg against Sevilla suggests they are certainly in the mood for another domestic double.
Since the turn of the year, Barcelona have actually created fewer Expected Goals than their opponents in 5 of their 9 matches. That’s also a clear sign that things aren’t quite ticking perfectly for the Catalans and with Los Blancos coming into form and actually boasting a decent recent record on this ground before their mauling earlier in the season, backing Real Madrid Double Chance appeals.