Real Madrid vs Barcelona El Clasico betting tips, BuildABet, best bets and preview
Football betting tips: El Clasico
1.5pts Vinicius Jr to score anytime at 8/5 (bet365)
1pt Vinicius Jr to be carded at 9/4 (bet365)
Kick-off time: 20:00 BST, Sunday
TV channel: Premier Sports 1 | La Liga TV
Home 17/20 | Draw 29/10 | Away 14/5
After a draining midweek for both Real Madrid and Barcelona with contrasting results, the pair now meet in El Clasico, with this edition win or bust for the latter's chances of winning the La Liga title.
Xavi's side are eight points behind their bitter rivals with just seven games remaining, and with very few tough looking games remaining for Madrid, the Catalonians really have to force the issue if they are to reel Real in.
After their heroics in midweek, Carlo Ancelotti's side are now unbeaten in 38 games (90 mins only) across all competitions, and if they extend that run here they will have one hand on the trophy.
It all sets up to be a cracking clash that could spiral into chaos.
What are the best bets?
Despite firing blanks against Manchester City, VINICIUS JR is still very much a man in form. He's netted 12 times in his last 16 appearances for Real Madrid, including a hat-trick the last time he face Barcelona in the Super Cup.
His price of 8/5 TO SCORE ANYTIME appeals here.
He has averaged 0.78 xG per 90 minutes across his last 10 La Liga games, netting eight times, and should get space given the state of play in the league standings.
Barcelona being eight points behind their rivals with just seven games to go means they have to go for broke on Sunday night in a bid to win, and a canny Madrid side can take advantage of that through Vinicius.
Real Madrid's pacey winger loves the big occasion of El Clasico too, he has scored in three of the last nine Clasico's, but interestingly, VINICIUS JR has been CARDED in three of nine too, so at 9/4 backing him to be carded makes sense as well.
Vini has become a bit of a card magnet of late, picking up five yellows in his last 10 appearances for Madrid, which isn't surprising given his rough playing style and unwillingness to back down from a challenge.
He's hot-headed to say the least, and that's ideal for card backers given he is always targeted given his game changing ability.
You can combine the two on bet365 for a 15/2 shot, though I'm happy to go bigger stakes on the singles on this occasion.
BuildABet @ 66/1
- Real Madrid to win
- Vinicius Jr to score anytime
- Vinicius Jr to be carded
CLICK HERE to back with Sky Bet
Put simply, Real Madrid are the more reliable of these two sides. They are the more adaptable too, as they showcased over two legs against Manchester City.
Ancelotti's men played a deep-ish block and played on the counter in those matches, a far cry from their ball dominance in La Liga. That should serve them well in this game, as should their superior bench, which gives them a great opportunity to slam the door shut in the La Liga title race with a win here.
Team news
Real Madrid continue to be without Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba, both long term absentees.
Vinicius Jr and Dani Carvajal were substituted in extra time of the Champions League quarter-final, but both are expected to recover in time for this match.
Eder Militao got more minutes under his belt after making his injury comeback, and could feature from the off here.
As for Barca, they have a near clean bill of health, with only Gavi and Alejandro Balde missing for this game.
We could see both sides play similar XI's to those in midweek.
Predicted line-ups
Real Madrid: Lunin; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Mendy; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Valverde; Vinicius Jr, Bellingham, Rodrygo
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Cancelo; Pedri, Gundogan, De Jong; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Yamal
Odds correct at 1700 BST (18/04/24)
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