Real Madrid and Barcelona are virtually always at the top of La Liga, and this year is no exception. This year though, this first edition of El Clasico might as well be the entire season for the Catalan side. They need three points in this one in the worst way, or La Liga will officially be a runaway.
This La Liga duel will go down Saturday, December 3, 2016, at 10:15 a.m. ET at Camp Nou. The match will be televised live on beIN Sports.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Barcelona -124
Real Madrid +300
Draw +318
Over/Under 3
Odds Analysis
Goals could be aplenty in this game. The total of 3 and -145 vig on the over tells the tale of two teams that are very likely going to find the back of the net in this match. But it's going to take more than that for sure to get to a total like this one.
Barca is the odds on favorite to take the three points in this match at -124, and it's the one day of the year that Real Madrid is going to be a tremendous underdog. Of course, this is also the only day of the year in which Barcelona is just barely a favorite at home.
Key Injuries
Gareth Bale is out of the fold for Real Madrid after undergoing ankle injury this week. It's a big loss, but it's not like Los Blancos don't have a few zillion other men who can play up front and put the ball in the back of the net. Cristiano Ronaldo was rested in the middle of the week in the Copa del Rey, and that was clearly for the best for a man who really has looked tired early in the season and has been dealing with nagging injuries.
Barcelona has its share of attackers as well, and though all of its big boys are healthy, at the back, there are some issues. Jeremy Mathieu really hoped to be back for El Clasico, but he's going to be out for at least a few more weeks thanks to a calf injury. Andres Iniesta was a question mark until a day or two ago when he was confirmed by Luis Enrique to be available for this match, though Jordi Alba is still a question mark with a sprained ankle.
Recent Form
The results for Barcelona are just all over the place right now. The team has suffered three straight draws in domestic action, 1-1 against Hercules in the Copa del Rey ( albeit without any of the superstars in the lineup ), 1-1 at Real Sociedad and 0-0 against Malaga, each result seemingly more consequential and surprising than the last.
Real just keeps rolling. A 6-1 win in the Copa del Rey with the reserves on the pitch was nice, but the club has matching 2-1 wins over the two Sporting sides, first in Portugal in the UCL then here in La Liga.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
The margin is now six points between these two sides, and we can't see any way Barca comes back from this if it loses at home, as it would be nine points back and still have to go to the Bernabeu later on in the campaign.
Though you'd like to think that the Messi/Neymar/Suarez combination will get the job done in this one, we're just not so optimistic. If you listen to the talking heads, this is a very winnable fixture for Real Madrid. We would take the Asian Handicap with Real if given the choice, but we think the more intriguing play here is the draw at a hefty price of +318. We're calling our shot a little bit for a level match, but this could legitimately happen, especially since Zidane knows that a point in this fixture is almost as good as a win with the way things are going out on the coast in Catalan land.
La Liga Odds: Barcelona 1, Real Madrid 1
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