Spain Round 10

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[spkutano]

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Real Madrid:
Courtois, Valverde, Militao, Asencio, Carreras, Guler, Tchouameni, Bellingham, Mastantuono, Mbappe, Vinicius Junior

Barcelona:
Szczesny, Kounde, Cubarsi, Garcia, Balde, Pedri, Jong, Yamal, Lopez, Rashford, Torres

I will start me preview with some interesting facts about El Clasico, a match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. The rivalry between these two clubs is regarded as one of the biggest on the planet. Madrid and Barcelona are Spain's largest cities and they are sometimes identified with opposing political positions. Real Madrid are viewed as representing Spanish nationalism and Barcelona viewed as representing Catalan nationalism. The two clubs are among the richest and most successful football clubs in the World; in 2014 Forbes ranked them the World's two most valuable sports teams. Both clubs have a global fan base; they are the two most followed sports teams on social media. Lionel Messi is the leading all time goal scorer in El Clasico with 26 goals, Alfredo Di Stefano has 18, while Cristiano Ronaldo 17.

Real Madrid are leaders in La Liga with 24 points, two more than second-placed Barcelona. With only nine rounds completed, it is too early for any conclusions. Nevertheless, a victory here could see a 5-point advantage for Real and that should not be ignored. The current form is good, Los Blancos have 8 victories in the opening nine rounds, with just one defeat. But the defeat was very painful. Real suffered a 5:2 loss to city rivals Atletico Madrid. Real are very good in Europe too. They recorded three wins in the first three rounds, beating Marseille, Kairat Almaty and Juventus. The atmosphere in the squad is good, while the players confidence is very high. Coach Xabi Alonso has good news ahead of the derby as Dani Carvajal, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Ceballos are all expected to return. Defender Dean Huijsen is rated as doubtful.

As I wrote above, Barcelona are on the second position in La Liga with 22 points, two adrift of leaders Real. This match is an ideal opportunity to takeover the first place. The domestic form is good, though they lost 4:1 to Sevilla before the international break. The Blaugrana are inconsistent in Europe, they managed to beat Newcastle and Olympiakos in the Champions League, but suffered a a painful loss to PSG. To be worse, the defeat came at home,. However, the Catalans now must fully focus on Real. Barca will be missing head coach Hansi Flick due to suspension and that's a big problem. I believe he will find a way to communicate with his assistants, but his presence in the coaching area is also important. At least five players will not be able to travel to Bernabeu - Dani Olmo, Robert Lewandowski, Joan Garcia, Gavi and Ter Stegen.

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona Prediction:

Both Real and Barcelona have top players in their squads. Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Belingham for Real, while Yama, Rashford and Raphinha for Barcelona. But Lewandowski, the club leading scorer with 4 league goals, will not play due to injury. Raphinha has just recover from injury and he is not fully prepared. Yamal is fantastic player, but his inexperience could be a problem. Rashford is one of just four players to have featured in every match, recording three goals and four assists. But Rashford is struggling under pressure, at least that was case in Manchester United. I think Real are closer to the victory. Xabi Alonso has to find a way to isolate Yamal and half of the job is done. Mbappe and Vinicius are players able to make a difference in attack.

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona Pick: Real Madrid to win @ 2.04 with Pinnacle