It’s that time of year. Here’s the fixture on every football fan’s calendar around the world. El Clàsico between Real Madrid and Barcelona will be a match for the ages.

Real Madrid was expected to escape this situation before the start of the La Liga season. After easily winning the title last year, they added arguably the best player in the world, Kylian Mbappe, in the offseason. Moreover, they retained their elite young core and only lost Toni Kroos.

But this loss has turned out to be too much so far. Despite sitting second in the league and winning two of their three Champions League matches, Real Madrid are nowhere near their peak performance of the last few seasons. Without Kroos, they struggle to unlock the defense and create enough chances against a deep defensive line.

But his talents are undeniable. The combination of Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr and Mbappe was more than enough to win the match.

But they face a different beast on Saturday. Perhaps more surprising than Madrid’s underwhelming performance this season was Barcelona’s incredible spell of dominance. Under new coach Hansi Flick, they are playing their best football since the days of Pep Guardiola.

Their impressive form culminated in a 4-1 win over Bayern Munich on Wednesday, their first win of the season so far. This was the sixth time they have scored at least four goals in 13 games this year. Other such performances came against other solid teams such as Girona, Villarreal and Sevilla.

This is a must-win match for Real Madrid, who cannot afford to fall further behind in the standings as Barcelona do not look like dropping many points this season. Can Barça prove that they are the team to beat in Europe? We can’t wait to see it.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Money line:

Real Madrid: -105
Draw: +295
Barcelona: +215

Total Goals:

Above 3.5: +105
Below 3.5: -130

Both Teams to Score:

Yes: -260
No: +200

Radiate:

Real Madrid -0.5: -105
Barcelona +0.5: -130

Both teams are coming off impressive wins against German teams in midweek. Real Madrid pulled off a resounding 5-2 victory over Dortmund after falling behind by two goals in the first half. Barcelona, ​​on the other hand, scored four goals against the stronger and more experienced Bayern Munich on Wednesday.

This game promises a lot of intrigue, excitement and goals. Barcelona has been arguably the best team in Europe this season. They scored a total of 43 goals in 13 official matches and won 11 of them. Real Madrid are far from this level this season, but they are the deepest and most talented team in the world.

Will the better team or the more talented individuals prevail?

In any derby or big match situation, especially at home against Real Madrid, it is difficult to choose. Estadio Santiago Bernabeu is a magical place that allows Madrid to beat any opponent, even if they are far behind. They have a lot of firepower, creativity and elite talent and eventually rise to the top.

At the same time, Barca under Hansi Flick are so dominant, well organized and disciplined that I am confident they will find a way to get the points they want from this match.

Barcelona is already 3 points ahead in the standings. They don’t need to win away. Flick would be thrilled with a draw and the team we watched against Bayern Munich this week are more than capable of achieving that. Barcelona cannot lose.

Selection: Barcelona +0.5 -130

Rates are updated periodically and may change.

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