Spain Round 11

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Barcelona vs Real Madrid Preview:

The rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid 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. The teams have combined for 62 Spanish La Liga titles, with Real holding a record 35.

As early as the 1930s, Barcelona "had developed a reputation as a symbol of Catalan identity, opposed to the centralising tendencies of Madrid". In 1936, when general Franco started the war against the democratic Second Spanish Republic, the president of Barcelona, Josep Sunyol, member of the Republican Left of Catalonia and Deputy to The Cortes, was arrested and executed without trial by Franco's troops.

Barcelona was on top of the list of organizations to be purged by the National faction, just after communists and anarchists. During the Franco dictatorship, most citizens of Barcelona were in strong opposition to the fascist-like regime. Phil Ball, the author of Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football, says about the match; "they hate each other with an intensity that can truly shock the outsider".

As of 29 July 2023, Barcelona leads in total matches with 124 wins to Real Madrid's 108, while 64 games ended without winner. Counting only La Liga, Real Madrid are more successful with 77 victories, while Barcelona have 74 (plus 35 draws).

Now about the match. The hosts will try to register the third victory in a row across all competitions. The Catalans were held to a 2:2 draw by Granada before the international break, but they recovered to beat Athletic Bilbao 1:0 in Primera last weekend before recording a 2:1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. Barca remain unbeaten this season, but they are third in the La Liga table, one point behind leaders Real Madrid ahead of the derby. Xavi has huge injury worries at the moment. Key striker Robert Lewandowski is rated as doubtful. He was substituted against Porto in the Champions League on October 4 after picking up an ankle injury. Joao Felix limped off against Shakhtar Donetsk after taking a knock, but he is expected to overcome the issue in time for El Clasico. However, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha, Jules Kounde and Sergi Roberto remain sidelined through injury.

Real Madrid sit on the top of the table after 10 games, but Xavi's men are just a point behind them, so this match is very important. Los Blancos have eight wins after 10 rounds, a draw (last weekend's 1:1 at Sevilla) and just one defeat so far (3:1 to Atletico Madrid). They have the best defensive record in La Liga, conceding seven goals in 10 games. Barcelona have the home advantage, though the derby will take place at Olympic Stadium at Montjuic due to renovations at Camp Nou. I think this could be a problem for the Catalans, they not are used to play at Montjuic. In addition, Real Madrid won three of their last four away games against Barcelona. It seems playing away is not a big problem for Carlo Ancelotti's men. He has most of the players available, but Eder Militao and Thibaut Courtois remain sidelined through injuries.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid Prediction:

Barcelona are the defending La Liga champions, they finished 10 points ahead of their arch-rivals last season. The fans want victory in derbies more than anything. But I think Real Madrid could remain unbeaten here. Their top scorer Karim Benzema is now playing in Saudi Arabia, but newcomer Jude Bellingham is doing a fantastic job, he has scored eight goals so far. This is a first derby for him and his motivation is very high. Robert Lewandowski, who missed out the last few games due to injury, is rated as doubtful. Barcelona are very handicapped, five important players are injured - Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha, Jules Kounde and Sergi Roberto are all sidelined through injury, while two more are rated as doubtful.

Barcelona vs Real Madrid Pick: Real Madrid +0.5 AH @ 1.60 with Pinnacle

 

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Barcelona vs Real Madrid Pick: Real Madrid +0.5 AH @ 1.60 with Pinnacle

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