La Liga week 29 preview: Real Madrid vs Barcelona
It is the El Clásico once more as Real Madrid and Barcelona clash at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on March 21. This will be their third meeting this 2021-22 season.
Will Los Blancos continue to dominate their rivals, or will FC Barcelona end their winless streak against the current La Liga table leader?
Overview
The last time these two faced each other at La Liga, Barça had a different manager and was struggling in form. The 2-1 victory by Real Madrid in October 2021 was followed by a 3-2 beating of the Blaugrana in the semifinal of the 2022 Supercopa de España two months ago.
Most recently, Real Madrid shut out Mallorca, 3-0. This is on top of advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League with a 3-2 aggregate over Paris Saint-Germain.
Meanwhile, Barcelona, in a span of three days, had a draw with Galatasaray followed by a 4-0 goal spree against Osasuna.
Stats
Madrid’s last setback came at the hands of PSG in the first leg of the UCL round of 16 held in the middle of February. They have only lost once at La Liga in 2022 (6-2-1). It has been more than a year since they dropped a league match at Bernabéu.
Although Barça continue to stumble in fixtures outside of Primera División, they have climbed up to third of the league table after Real Betis suffered successive losses and fell to fifth two weekends ago. They have not conceded an assignment on the road since their 2-2 draw versus regional nemesis Espanyol on Valentine’s day.
Recent form (last five matches)
Real Madrid
defeated Mallorca, 3-0
defeated Paris Saint-Germain, 3-1
defeated Real Sociedad, 4-1
defeated Rayo Vallecano, 1-0
defeated Alavés, 3-0
Barcelona
defeated Osasuna, 4-0
drew with Galatasaray, 0-0
defeated Elche, 2-1
defeated Athletic Club, 4-0
defeated Napoli, 4-2
Prediction
Both squads have been consistently scoring over 2.5 goals, which makes this a safe proposition. Although Barcelona do not have a splendid away record this season, their recent form might make the result less predictable even if Real Madrid have been virtually impeccable at home.
Injuries, such as on Karim Benzema, might make this encounter more interesting.
Tips
Over 2.5 goals
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