El Clasico — the soccer rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid — will take place for the 276th time on Wednesday. Of the 275 meetings, 242 have been competitive and the other 33 have been exhibitions. Of those 242, Barcelona has won 96 matches, Real Madrid has won 95, and 51 have ended in draws. In La Liga, the teams have met 178 times, with each team winning 72 times and 34 matches ending in draws. Of all of the club soccer matches in the world, this is right up there at the top, with the UEFA Champions League final. This year, the two teams are tied at the top of the table in La Liga with 35 points in 16 matches, although Barcelona would take the tiebreaker as they have won 11 matches, while Real Madrid have won just 10. Both sides come in off a draw, so as Spain comes to a halt Wednesday night for this match, consider adding it to your sports betting for the week.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid 2019 La Liga Odds & Game Preview
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- When: Wednesday, December 18, 2019, 2:00 pm ET
- Where: Camp Nou, Barcelona
- TV: beIN SPORTS / beIN SPORTS en Espanol
- Radio: None
- Live Stream: fuboTV
- Soccer Odds: Barcelona 4/5 / Draw 100/30 / Real Madrid 7/2
Why should you bet on Real Madrid?
Real Madrid’s defense has come together this season; it is their offense that has tended to betray them at times. In their last match on Sunday, they went to Valencia, where they had to settle for a 1-1 draw. The game was scoreless until the 78th minute, when Valencia took the lead on a tally from Carlos Soler. Things looked grim for the visitors until five minutes into injury time at the end of the second half, as Karim Benzema delivered the equalizer and salvaged a point for Real.
In the match, Real Madrid launched 19 shots to just nine for Valencia, but both sides put six shots on frame. Real dominated possession, holding the ball for 65 percent of the game and completing 90 percent of their passes. However, their pressure only generated two corner kicks for the match. Real must find a way to push forward against a Barcelona side that has shown a propensity to give up bad goals this year.
Why should you put your money on Barcelona?
Barcelona also enters in the wake of a frustrating draw, as they played at Real Sociedad last week and came away with just a single point in a 2-2 result. Real Sociedad took the early lead when Mikel Oyarzabal converted from the spot in the twelfth minute. However, Antoine Griezmann brought Barcelona level in the 38th minute, and, shortly after halftime, Luis Suarez put the visitors ahead in the 49th minute. However, Real Sociedad equalized thirteen minutes later with a goal from Alexander Isak, and the draw stood.
In the match, Real Sociedad outpossessed Barcelona 54 to 46 percent, and they outshot the visitors as well, 19-9 – but with both sides putting five shots on frame. Real Sociedad governed the pressure for the game, forcing eight corners to just five for Barcelona. This was a rare instance of an opponent taking the game to Barcelona, and Barcelona having little response other than to hang level. Barcelona will need to come out with more energy for El Clasico.
Final Score Prediction
Barcelona has won three of the last four meetings, including a 1-0 road win in March, an aggregate 4-1 win in the Copa del Rey semifinal last year (which featured a 1-1 draw at Camp Nou) and a 5-1 win for Barcelona at home in October of 2018. Until Real shows that they can get over the top against Barcelona, it’s hard to pick them. I like Barcelona to win, 2-1.
