The first LaLiga El Clasico of the 2020/21 season sees both FC Barcelona and Real Madrid come into the game after suffering surprise defeats last weekend, when the ultra-competitive nature of LaLiga Santander was again shown by deserved victories for Getafe CF and Cadiz CF
Defending champions Real Madrid remain just a point off the top of the early LaLiga Santander standings after losing 1-0 at home to newly promoted Cadiz last Saturday, while Barça’s defeat by the same scoreline at a typically rugged Getafe leaves the Catalans a further three points back, down in an unfamiliar ninth position.
Another factor to consider is the staggered start to the 2020/21 campaign meaning that Los Blancos still have one game in hand on current joint leaders Real Sociedad and Villarreal, while Barcelona have played two games fewer at this point.
Zinedine Zidane’s side also picked up some new injury worries on Saturday, with club captain Sergio Ramos leaving the game at half-time with a knee injury which makes him a doubt for this weekend’s game at the Camp Nou. Zidane is already without Eden Hazard and Dani Carvajal for the first El Clasico of the new campaign, but has both Eder Militao and Marco Asensio available again after recent absences.
New Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman also has his selection issues, including left-back Jordi Alba being in a ‘race against the clock’ to be ready. Either way new blaugrana full-back Sergiño Dest looks set to become the first ever USA international to play in El Clasico, having arrived from Ajax late in the transfer window. Sure to feature is Barca club captain Lionel Messi, whose 18 goals in 27 LaLiga El Clasicos is an all-time record.
Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory in the most recent LaLiga El Clasico, thanks to goals from Vinicius Junior and Mariano Diaz, means the Bernabeu outfit have moved just ahead in the all-time head to head record – 73 wins to 72. There have also been 35 draws – the latest of which was a tightly fought 0-0 at the Camp Nou last December. That game was an outlier given the fixture has regularly produced goals in recent seasons, as well as lots of drama, including Barca’s 5-1 home victory in October 2018.
Saturday will see a potential 650 million fans around the world tuning for the eagerly awaited match-up. The staggered start to 2020/21 has made it difficult to judge the teams so far, but a winner on Saturday would become clear favourites to win this year’s LaLiga Santander title, while a loser would already have a lot of ground to make up.
- Watch ElClasico live this Saturday on LaLigaTV at 3pm
Betting
Barcelona evens | Draw 14/5 | Real Madrid 12/5
Sky Bet can't split Barcelona and Real Madrid in their betting for the LaLiga title, both offered at 11/8 ahead of Saturday's match. However, it's advantage the hosts at evens to win, with Real Madrid upwards of 2/1 following another poor performance during the week.
Popular Request-A-Bets
50/1 - BTTS in both halves, 2+ corners each team in each half and 20+ booking points each team
33/1 - Barcelona 3-1, 10+ match corners and 50+ match booking pts
16/1 - Real Madrid to win, BTTS, 4+ corners each team and 20+ booking points each team
Videos
Lionel Messi's best goals in El Clasico...
Five things for Ronald Koeman's first Clasico
