Arch-rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid will do battle at Camp Nou on Sunday as the La Liga title race heats up ahead of the run-in.
With 25 games in the books, table-topping Barcelona lead second-placed Real Madrid by nine points, with third-placed Atletico Madrid trailing Los Blancos by eight points.
🎙️ LEWANDOWSKI: "We need this game." #ElClásico pic.twitter.com/a07HESki4C— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) March 17, 2023
🎙️ LEWANDOWSKI: "We need this game." #ElClásico pic.twitter.com/a07HESki4C
A win for Xavi’s men would see them take a giant leap towards securing the title. However, a victory for Real Madrid would close the gap to just six points.
It’s fair to say that Barcelona have enjoyed a hugely impressive La Liga campaign up to now, as they have only lost two of their 25 games.
Having taken 65 points from a possible 75 this season, Barca find themselves in pole position to clinch the La Liga title for the first time since 2018-19.
Xavi’s side have scored 47 goals this term, conceding a measly eight along the way. On top of that, they have kept a whopping 19 clean sheets in 25 league outings.
Having avoided defeat in each of their last 12 home league games, Barcelona will be hopeful of picking up another positive result on Sunday.
As for Real Madrid, they have won 17 of their 25 La Liga matches this season, recording five draws and three losses in the process.
Although Los Blancos are the division’s top scorers with 50 goals, they have conceded 11 goals more than Barcelona this season.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men have only lost one of their previous 10 matches across all competitions, although that defeat came against Barca in the Copa del Rey.
It is also worth noting that Real Madrid have avoided defeat in 40 of their past 46 outings, so they are bound to put up a fight this weekend.
Head-to-head: Not only have Barcelona won each of their last two games against Real Madrid, but they have also won three of the previous four.
When it comes to La Liga, however, Barca have won just one of their last seven meetings with Los Blancos, suffering five defeats along the way.
Team news: Barcelona will be without two key players – Pedri and Ousmane Dembele – due to injury this weekend.
On the flip side, David Alaba is Real Madrid’s only injury absentee at the moment, meaning Ancelotti has plenty of options to choose from.
With so much at stake on Sunday, Barcelona and Real Madrid are expected to produce a tense and cagey encounter.
For that reason, Forebet predicts that Barcelona and Real Madrid will play out a low-scoring draw at Camp Nou.