Barcelona vs Real Madrid Odds 02/03/2013
Published on March 1st, 2013 2:58 pm ESTReal Madrid is set to play host to Barcelona on Saturday evening in a battle between two of the top teams in La Liga.
Barcelona will be looking for a bit of revenge after Real Madrid posted a surprising 3-1 win in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal earlier in the week.
Barcelona is currently sitting at the top of La Liga with a record of 22-2-1 (68 points). Barcelona's offense has been particularly potent so far this season, as they have managed to score 82 goals while allowing just 28.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, is currently sitting in third place in La Liga with a record of 16-4-5 (52 points). Real Madrid has scored 62 goals so far this season while allowing 23.
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Real Madrid has a massive match against Manchester United looming later in the week, so they are likely to feature some different players on Saturday. Marcelo and Luka Modric are some of the players who may see action on Saturday. Sergio Ramos will re-enter the line-up after serving a one game suspension, while Angel Di Maria will be forced out after receiving a red card against Deportivo La Coruna.
On the Barcelona side, Lionel Messi is expected to play after being sidelined with a fever earlier in the week.
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Some things to keep in mind heading into Saturday's game:
-Real Madrid has won 10 of its last 11 La Liga games at home
-Barcelona is 3-2-2 in their last seven games across all competitions
-Messi is recovering from a fever
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According to oddsmakers, Barcelona has the small edge heading into Saturday.
Here are the current betting odds:
Real Madrid, 3.00
Draw, 3.20
Barcelona, 2.40
These odds mean that a successful $100 bet on Real Madrid would yield a total profit of $200, while a $100 bet on Barcelona would yield a total profit of $140. A draw, on the other hand, would return $220 in total profit.
The over/under line in the game is set at 2.5 goals:
Under 2.5 goals, 2.37
Over 2.5 goals, 1.53