Barcelona - Real Madrid predictions and free betting tips [28/10/2023]

On Saturday, 28th October, as part of the 11th round of the Spanish Primera, Barcelona will host Real Madrid. The Catalonians have remained undefeated across all competitions this season and currently hold the third place on the leaderboard with 24 points, while Los Blancos lead the league and intend to bolster their position over the weekend.

Predicted Line-ups

Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Cancelo, Araujo, Martinez, Balde; Gavi, Romeu, Gundogan; Yamal, Lewandowski, Felix.
Real Madrid: Kepa; Carvajal, Rudiger, Alaba, Camavinga; Valverde, Tchouameni, Kroos; Bellingham; Rodrygo, Vinicius.

Stadium

The match will take place in Barcelona, at the Olympic Stadium.

Barcelona

Last weekend, Xavi's squad achieved a critical minimum victory over Athletic Bilbao (1:0). This allowed them to forget the disappointing draw with Granada (2:2) before the international break and came within a point of the first place, which is still occupied by Real Madrid. On Wednesday evening, in a heavily rejuvenated line-up, the Blaugrana triumphed over Shakhtar in the Champions League (2:1) and now aim to reclaim the lead in La Liga. Interestingly, the hosts have not yet secured their playoffs' spot in Europe's premier cup tournament, despite being first in Group H with nine points. It is noteworthy that Barcelona is yet to slip up at home this campaign, having bagged 6 victories.

The participation of Robert Lewandowski, along with Frenkie de Jong, winger Rafinha and Jules Kounde, remains uncertain for Saturday's El Clasico. Furthermore, Spanish midfielder Pedri is injured and definitely won't take to the pitch, as is Sergi Roberto. Joao Felix is Barcelona's main attacking force, having sustained a slight injury on the match against Shakhtar; the injury subsequently turned out minor. The 16-year-old Lamin Jamal might land a spot on the right flank, with Ferran Torres expected to drop to the subs' bench.

Real Madrid

This week, Real Madrid headed to Braga for the Champions League intending to preserve their group lead against Napoli and Union Berlin. Despite commendable resistance from the Portuguese side, Los Blancos prevailed thanks to goals from Bellingham and Rodrigo on the counter-attacks (1:2), consolidating their top spot. The Madrid side also leads La Liga, but they are hotly pursued by Girona, and subsequently, Barcelona. Carlo Ancelotti's men have conceded defeat only once this season – a 3:1 loss in the derby against Atletico, but boast more victories than their fierce rivals (8). Plus, Real Madrid boasts the best defence in La Liga, having conceded only seven goals.

The coaching staff of the Madrid side will have to do without their primary goalkeeper, Thibaut Courtois (recovering from an ACL tear), centre-back Eder Militao (the same injury) and Dani Ceballos. The Turkish striker Guler has yet to debut for his new team, and Spanish forward Joselu (5 goals in 10 league matches) didn't travel to Braga due to illness. Jude Bellingham, who arrived from Dortmund last summer, has truly shined in the Real Madrid jersey (8 goals, 2 assists in 10 La Liga matches). It's certain that Rodrigo (1 goal, 1 assist) and Vinicius will take to the field from the first minute. It's anticipated that Eduardo Camavinga would be moved to the left-back position, with Toni Kroos lining up in the midfield alongside Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde.

Head-to-head

In their last meeting, Los Blancos crushed Barcelona 0:4 in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals in March this year. Before that, however, the Catalonians had notched three consecutive victories.

Prediction for the Barcelona vs Real Madrid match

El Clasico is one of the most anticipated matches in world football. Beyond that, it's a crucial game in the battle for the top spot in La Liga, signalling that the intensity on the pitch will be at its peak. In view of Lewandowski, De Jong, Kounde and Rafinha's possible absence, Barcelona will face a tough task against a Real Madrid side in sterling form at the start of the season and almost at their optimum capacity. It seems that a double chance on the visitors would be a safe bet.

Total Prediction

In five of the previous six El Clasicos, both teams have scored at least three goals combined. Considering the star-studded attacks of both sides, it's reasonable to expect an abundance of goals this time around too.

Corner Prediction

Both sides are proponents of attacking football and will regularly pose threats to the opponent's goal; hence, a total of more than 9.5 corners seems feasible.

Yellow Cards Prediction

El Clasico invariably involves intense emotions on the pitch, meaning the referee will have to dish out at least five yellow cards.

Score Prediction

I predict a precise score of 1:3 in favour of Real Madrid.