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Real Madrid – FC Barcelona (La Liga)

Santiago Bernabéu is, once again, stage for the so fervent El Clásico, with Real Madrid and FC Barcelona going up against each other on Saturday at noon, for the 17th round of La Liga. Real Madrid won the Club World Cup for the 2nd consecutive time, with victories against Gremio and Al Jazira bound to have boost their confidence levels ahead of this clash. FC Barcelona, on their turn, are still undefeated in La Liga, and haven’t lost a league game since a 2-0 loss at Malaga back in April.

Real Madrid are in 4th place with 31 points, from 9 victories, 4 draws and 2 defeats, with 30 goals scored and 11 goals conceded. The Merengues did not played in La Liga’s previous round because they were in the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, a competition they managed to win for the second consecutive time after beating teams like Gremio and Al Jazira, a good boost in their confidence ahead of this tough match.

Los Blancos had a disappointing start of the season, but have been improving in recent games. Zidane’s men have won their last five home games in La Liga, keeping four clean sheets during that time, scoring 16 goals and conceding only 2 in the process. Sevilla were recently demolished 5-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu, and with the french coach with 100% of his squad available, Zidane can field here his strongest XI. Victory here is the only acceptable result if Real Madrid still dreams in defending the title.

In their last 5 official matches, Real Madrid has a record of 4 victories and 1 draw. This sequence of results started with a 0-0 away draw against Athletic Bilbao. This result was followed by a 3-2 victory against Borussia Dortmund, for the Champions League, a 5-0 victory against Sevilla, a 1-2 victory against Al Jazira, for the Club World Cup, and in their last match, a 1-0 win over Gremio, for the Club World Cup.

Probable Lineup: Navas – Carvajal, Varane, Ramos and Marcelo – Casemiro, Kroos and Modric – Isco – Benzema and Ronaldo.

FC Barcelona, on their turn, are in 1st place with 42 points, from 13 victories and 3 draws, with 42 goals scored and 7 goals conceded. The Catalans are achieving a fantastic campaign this season and are having great results in all competitions, they are league leaders with a 6 point advantage above 2nd placed Atletico Madrid, were qualified for the round of 16 of the Champions League as group leaders, and also qualified for the round of 16 for the Copa del Rey. This will be the third time that Barcelona faces Real Madrid this season, having lost the the previous two, both for the Spanish Supercup. However, the Catalans are now in a much better form that they were when faced Real Madrid two times before the start of La Liga.

The Blaugranas are undefeated this season in the league and have won 3 of their last 5 away matches, scoring 9 goals and conceding 2 in the process. Barça have the best attack and the best defense in the league, they are very well organized defensively and are very dangerous in the offensive process, with Messi standing out for being the league top scorer with 14 goals scored, and Suárez is the 3rd top scorer with 9 goals scored.

In their last 5 official matches, FC Barcelona has a record of 4 victories and 1 draw. This sequence of results started with a 5-0 win against Real Murcia, for the Copa del Rey. This result was followed by a 2-2 home draw against Celta Vigo, a 2-0 victory over Sporting CP, for the Champions League, a 0-2 win over Villarreal, and in their last match, a 4-0 victory against Deportivo. Dembélé, Umtiti, Deulofeu and Paco Alcácer are all out due to injury.

Probable Lineup: Stegen – Roberto, Piqué, Vermaelen and Alba – Busquets, Rakitic and Iniesta – Paulinho – Messi and Suárez.

Real Madrid have won 4 of their last 8 direct clashes, drawing 1 and losing the 3 remaining.

If Real Madrid still want to defend the title, this is a must win game. However, this is a Barcelona that is still undefeated this season and are making high level performances, with Messi and Luis Suárez standing out for their good moment and for spreading terror in any defensive sector that goes up against them. Expect a game a huge intensity level, as usual, with several opportunities at both ends of the pitch. At home, Real Madrid are favorites, but Barcelona have enough arguments to take points in this trip to the Bernabéu.