Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: La Liga Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

On Sunday afternoon, La Liga leaders Barcelona will face second-place Real Madrid at Estadi Olympic Lluis Companys for the most recent El Clasico, a crucial encounter in the fight for the championship.

Carlo Ancelotti's team must win on Sunday to have a realistic chance of surpassing the Catalan powerhouses before the season ends. Barcelona leads the La Liga standings by four points over Real Madrid, who are in second place.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Barcelona head into Sunday's El Clasico after a dramatic Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan, losing 7-6 on aggregate despite leading late in the second leg. Still, Hansi Flick's side could cap a strong season with a La Liga title, having already lifted the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.

The Catalans have won four straight league games and are four points ahead of Real Madrid with three matches remaining against Espanyol, Villarreal, and Athletic Bilbao. A draw on Sunday would keep them in control, while a loss would give Madrid hope.

Barcelona have beaten Real Madrid thrice this season, including a 4-0 win at the Bernabeu in October.

Real Madrid, winners of the UEFA Super Cup, were knocked out of the Copa del Rey final by Barcelona and exited the Champions League to Arsenal. With Carlo Ancelotti linked to a move to the Saudi Pro League, Xabi Alonso is reportedly favorite to replace him.

Los Blancos, who beat Celta Vigo 3-2 last weekend, have won two of the previous three league Clásicos and kept clean sheets in three of their last four league outings. They need a win on Sunday to keep their title hopes alive.

Barcelona x Real Madrid Team News

Alejandro Balde returned to Barcelona training after a hamstring injury and is expected to start Sunday's El Clasico. Inigo Martinez is fit, while Robert Lewandowski should feature after coming off the bench against Inter. Jules Kounde and Marc Bernal are out, and Pablo Torre and Marc Casado remain doubtful.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen is back, giving Flick a decision in goal over Wojciech Szczesny.

For Real Madrid, Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy, David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, and Eduardo Camavinga are out for the season. Arda Guler is tipped to start after impressing against Celta, with Rodrygo set to return. Jude Bellingham may push forward if Federico Valverde slots in at right-back. Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe will lead the attack, with Mbappe chasing his first win over Barcelona as a Madrid player.

Our Predictions

Full time draw @ 4.20 on Sky247.ng

A draw is no good for Real Madrid at this stage of the campaign, but we are finding it challenging to back Barcelona to lose; we can see goals on Sunday, as both sides have so much quality in the final third of the field, and a first Clasico draw since December 2019 may be on the cards.

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