La Liga: El Clasico Pair Have Mixed Emotions

Real Madrid vs Barcelona

It’s El Clasico time again, folks, and this Sunday there will be as much spice as ever when Real Madrid and Barcelona prepare to do battle at a packed Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Eight points separate the two sides at the top of the La Liga table, and they come into this game knowing that a Real Madrid victory would all but end the title race.

But they will each arrive in starkly different moods after a dramatic week in the Champions League. While Los Blancos rode their luck to pull off a surprise win over Manchester City, Barcelona suffered a bizarre refereeing display that saw them exit Europe’s premier competition at the quarterfinal stage. 

Barca will try to channel their anger, and while the La Liga 2024 betting odds might not shift dramatically should the Blaugrana win El Clasico, it will certainly make things interesting. 

Talking Points

Los Blancos can count on defence and attack

Carlo Ancelotti’s men faced an uphill battle in their second-leg Champions League tie against Manchester City after drawing 3-3 in the home tie,  but they came through thanks to a Rodrygo goal and a penalty shootout win. But it was in defence where Los Blancos excelled, as Anton Rudiger and captain Nacho held firm while keeper Andriy Lunin put in a man-of-the-match performance.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said: “They defended so deep with incredible solidarity. I don’t want to judge the way and ideas with which Madrid and Carlo decided to play. More than anything, it was a statement of respect.”

Whether or not Pep was being respectful, Ancelotti and his players won’t mind, as they have booked their place in the semi-finals against Bayern Munich, who put Arsenal out at the quarterfinal stage. And, now that they have seen off the most dangerous team on the planet, Los Blancos can be more expansive again.

They led for over an hour after Rodrygo had broken the deadlock, and the young Brazilian is on fire; he scored a double in Los Blancos’ recent win over Athletic Bilbao and has taken some of the limelight from his compatriot Vinicius Junior and attacking midfielder Jude Bellingham.

Real Madrid are on cloud nine, but the Catalans are in a distinctly stormy mood. 

Xavi fuming after Champions League exit

Barcelona entered their game against PSG with a first leg advantage after taking a 3-2 lead from the Parc des Princes, and they fancied their chances of making the last four, particularly when Brazilian forward Raphinha scored an early goal.

He added to the two he plundered in Paris when he converted a cross from Lamine Yamal with just 12 minutes on the clock. But then, on 29 minutes, the game turned on its head when centre back Ronald Araujo, who had a brilliant first leg, was red carded for a tug on Bradley Barcola.

It was a soft dismissal, to say the least. Barca head coach Xavi couldn’t believe his eyes; he wasn’t alone, and he too was red-carded when he confronted referee Istvan Kovacs.

PSG took advantage and levelled the tie thanks to goals from Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha, before Kylian Mbappe gave the Parisiens the lead from the penalty spot, and the France captain bagged his second as Barcelona pushed for an equaliser.

Xavi went for the ref again after the final whistle and later said, “The referee was really bad. I told him his performance was a disaster. It had a clear impact on the season, and it had to be said. We are very upset and angry because the red card was the decisive factor in the match. With 11 players, we were in command.”

Well, now that the Barca boss has that off his chest, he can focus his attention on the league. The Blaugrana’s La Liga 2024 results have been consistently strong in recent weeks, with four wins on the bounce and four clean sheets, and Araujo will be ready to make amends against Real Madrid.

History

Of the last 85 El Clasicos, Barca have won 38 to Real Madrid’s 28 and there have been 19 draws, but it has been Los Blancos’ time this year. This season, Real Madrid won 2-1 when the two sides met in Catalonia in the league, and then Ancelotti’s men thumped the Blaugrana 4-1 in the SuperCopa in January. 

Madrid are unbeaten in the league at the Santiago Bernabeu this season with 13 wins and two draws, while Barcelona are unbeaten on the road with nine wins and six draws, and both have won five of the last six, so we’re expecting a close encounter of an exciting kind. 

Betting Tip

Madrid are clear favourites to win this match at SBOTOP odds of 1.94, with Barcelona at 3.31 and the draw is at 3.51. Barcelona need the win, but I suspect the fierce rivals may cancel each other out, and a 1-1 draw at a price of 7.30 won’t be far from the mark.

 

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