La Liga (LL) champions Barcelona and Real Madrid meet at the Camp Nou in the latest instalment of El Clásico - the biggest match on the planet. Can Madrid end Barca’s mind-blowing unbeaten league run?
Barca (86 pts, W26, D8, L0, +66) clinched their 25th LL title with four games to spare with a 4-2 victory away to Deportivo La Coruna last Sunday, extending their league record to 41 matches without defeat. Ernesto Valverde’s side can become the first team to go through an entire Spanish top-flight campaign without defeat since Madrid back in 1931/’32, but it’s worth noting that Madrid’s unbeaten season comprised of just 18 games.
Third-placed Madrid (71 pts, W21, D8, L5, +45), who have confirmed they will not give Barca a guard of honour, come into the game off the back of seeing off Bayern Munich to reach a third successive Champions League final. It’s an incredible milestone that contrasts greatly with their dismal domestic campaign. Los Blancos were dumped out of the Copa del Rey by Leganés and currently find themselves a massive 15 points off Barca.
Sunday’s clash will mark the 237th competitive encounter between these two titans (Barca 92 wins, 49 draws, Madrid 95 wins). Barca have won none of their last three home games against Madrid (D1, L2), but thrashed Zinedine Zidane’s men 3-0 in the reverse fixture at the Bernabéu earlier this season.
Players to watch: Since Cristiano Ronaldo joined Madrid in 2009, he and Lionel Messi have averaged the same number of goals per game (1.07) in LL. As far as El Clásico is concerned, the two legends have faced each other 29 times, with Messi (19 goals, 0.66 per game) slightly surpassing Cristiano (17 goals, 0.59).
Stat attack: Barcelona have had 60.5% of their shots on target in LL so far this season (Madrid 51.7%).
Madrid have scored in each of their last 13 visits to Barca in all competitions (1.85 goals on average).
Tips
Barcelona - 0.75
