SEVEN wins and one draw out of eight games. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona boast identical records in La Liga and face off on Sunday in an eagerly-anticipated El Clasico at the Bernabeu.
Both of these famous rivals have been near-perfect in the league. Barca have won every game since being held to a goalless draw at home by Rayo Vallecano on the opening game of the season.
Since then, they went on a run of battering teams, but the goals have dried up recently and they have only won their last couple of league games against Mallorca and Celta Vigo by a goal to nil.
Real Madrid looked like they were going to steamroll every team in the league, until ten-man Osasuna held out for a point at the start of the month. Since then, they beat city rivals Getafe 1-0.
But neither side can take a huge amount of confidence from their midweek displays in the Champions League.
Madrid needed a goal deep into injury time to rescue a point in Poland against a Shakhtar Donetsk side whose preparation was hampered by the sound of air raid sirens.
Barca needed Robert Lewandowski to dig them out of a hole against Inter Milan in a 3-3 draw at the Nou Camp and they have won only once in the group.
How the bookies view it
Real Madrid's home advantage makes them favourites here and they can be backed at SBK at 23/18.
Barcelona are available at 21/10 with William Hill. The draw is 13/5 at BetVictor.
Recent head to heads
There were two away wins last season including Barca's sensational 4-0 win in Madrid. But Real won 2-1 at the Nou Camp too. Real Madrid also won the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Players to watch
Two of the world's best goalscorers go head-to-head here. Karim Benzema is remarkably on a five-game scoring drought and has failed to score since August. The French hitman is 21/20 to break that run in style though with bet365.
Robert Lewandowski scored a double in the last eight minutes against Inter Milan in midweek to take his tally to 14 goals in 14 games for club and country this season. He is 5/4 to score on Sunday with bet365 and he's the man for the big occasion.
Anything else catch the eye?
Barcelona looked unstoppable at the start of the season, but their flimsy defence has come back to haunt them and the experience and know-how of Carlo Ancelotti may just carry Real Madrid over the line here.
Real Madrid look the stronger all-round team here and can claim the points.
However, this has the potential to be a thriller with plenty of goals – it certainly should be given the attacking prowess on the pitch and with Benzema facing Lewandowski.
The two sides could go at each other here from the off. Take a punt on both teams to score in the first half at 11/4 with William Hill.
This La Liga match between Real Madrid and Barcelona will be played on Oct 16, 2022 and kick off at 15:15. Check below for our tipsters best Real Madrid vs Barcelona prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
