Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: Preview and betting tips

On Wednesday night we will have our fifth El Clásico of the season. Barcelona and Real Madrid have already clashed twice in the league, once in the Super Cup and in the opening game of the Copa Del Rey. What to bet on in the rematch of the Spanish Cup semi-final at the Camp Nou?

While in recent years it has been the other way around and Real Madrid have had the upper hand in El Clásico for several games in a row, in the current season Barcelona have defied the odds.

Although they still lost their first clash of the season, when Real won 3-1 in the league at the Santiago Bernabéu, Barcelona have a great record in 2023.

Firstly, they won the Spanish Super Cup final 3-1, then won 1-0 at the Bernabéu in the first leg of the semi-final and most recently won 2-1 in the league El Clásico.

But Los Blancos have a huge motivation to turn the semi-final around and advance to the final. Barcelona are already more or less certain winners of La Liga, where they have a comfortable lead.

Real only have the Champions League and the Copa del Rey to play for. Knocking out their age-old rival and reversing three defeats in a row is a huge motivation for Ancelotti and co.

For Wednesday’s game, both teams were victorious and in high spirits. Barcelona defeated Elche 4: 0 on their field, Real Madrid blasted Valladolid 6: 0.

It can be expected that Real Madrid will have to put a lot of pressure on Barcelona. In the opening game at the Santiago Bernabéu, Barcelona took an unexpectedly passive approach and had only 35% of the ball possession for the whole game, which is unusually low by their standards.

One can expect a similar picture to emerge when Los Blancos have to push for victory. That’s why I don’t think Real Madrid will lose.

Source: Real Madrid, Barcelona, RFEF