Thrilling El Clasico in store

Published on April 21st, 2017 2:47 am EST
Written By: Cian Murray
The El Clasico has a little bit of extra spice this weekend after both Real Madrid and Barcelona's contrasting fortunes in the Champions League midweek.

Los Blancos overcame a massive Bayern Munich challenge with a little help from a generous referee, while Barcelona came up short against an excellent Juventus side. The Catalans just couldn't get by the stern Italian defense, while Madrid got the bounce of the ball against the German giants.

It's back to domestic duties for both this weekend and it doesn't get any bigger in La Liga than the El Clasico. In fact, it probably doesn't come any bigger in domestic football than this game.

The game is being played in Santiago Bernabeu and the home side go into it with a three point lead after playing a game less than Barca.

The Catalans have looked like a side in a bit of a rut lately. Of course, they had that amazing result against PSG in the last round of the Champions League, but that was an outlier, rather than an example of their average performance during the season.

They were shockingly poor against Malaga in the league recently, while their away performances against Juventus and PSG beared no resemblance to the all-conquering Barcelona of old.

On the other hand, Real have looked like a side with a point to prove. Cristiano Ronaldo is knocking in the goals for fun, but it is noticeable how much other players have been contributing to Madrid's overall performances this season.

These opposing fortunes are reflected in the odds for this weekend's El Clasico. Madrid are priced at 1/1 to take all three points.

They did so when the sides played each other earlier in the season, coming out on top in an intriguing game at the Nou Camp. Predictably, Cristiano Ronaldo was one of the Real heroes that day.

He is priced at a generous 100/30 to get the first goal this weekend. Karim Benzema also got off the mark for Real in that game and he is 5/1 to open the scoring.

Barcelona hammered Real 4-0 when they played them at the Bernabeu last season. If you fancy them to get the win this weekend, you can back them at a price of 21/10. Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez got a brace that day.

He is priced at 5/1 to score the first goal against Real on Sunday. If you think he can get another brace, you can back him to score two goals at any time at a price of 4/1.

A stalemate is a genuine possibility and you can back it a price of 3/1, however our money is on a home win and for Real to continue their stride towards the title.