Real Madrid and Barcelona meet in the first El Clasico of the season at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Saturday. Both teams will start the match in confident fashion after big midweek wins in the Champions League.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona best bets
Barcelona or draw in double chance – 3/5 with VBET
Over 3.5 goals – 1/1 with VBET
Raphinha to score or assist – 1/1 with VBET
Real Madrid vs Barcelona odds
Find the latest match odds for Real Madrid vs Barcelona. All odds are provided by our best-reviewed football bookmakers. Odds are subject to change.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona predictions
This is the first fixture all football fans look for when they check out the La Liga schedule at the beginning of every season. El Clasico isn’t just big in Spain, it’s one of the biggest and well known matches in the world.
In the past we’ve witnessed classic encounters between Guardiola and Mourinho, Messi and Ronaldo, and now it’s Carlo Ancelotti against Hansi Flick.
Carlo Ancelotti has already secured his legacy in football. Brazil, no less, was prepared to make the Italian their national manager.
But Ancelotti’s authority in Spain this season is being challenged by new Barcelona boss Hansi Flick.
Flick has hit the ground running at his new club. Barcelona sit top of the table with 27 points from ten games. The Catalans have won nine and lost one.
Furthermore, they’ve just beaten Bayern Munich 4-1 in the Champions League. The win came after a 5-1 victory over Sevilla on Sunday.
Barcelona looks in good form and they are set to represent a huge challenge for Real on Saturday.
Real Madrid has been inconsistent this season. Despite that, they are still unbeaten and sit second in La Liga on 24 points.
Real has won seven and drawn three in La Liga this season. In the Champions League they have won two and lost one. For good measure they also defeated Atalanta 2-0 to add the UEFA Super Cup to their already bulging trophy cabinet.
But Madrid still doesn’t look like they have clicked yet in the current campaign. Their 5-2 win over Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday night was the perfect example.
Los Blancos were 2-0 down at half-time and trudged off into the dressing room looking like a team with no answer to the questions posed by the Germans. They then came out and blew last season’s beaten Champions League finalists away with five goals from 60 minutes onwards.
Inconsistency at its best!
Despite having assembled a squad that is the envy of world football, Madrid still don’t look like a team. They seem to be relying on individual contributions from their world class stars. And so far, so good, because it is working.
But will it work in the long term?
Real will be without Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo for El Clasico. They join long term absentees David Alaba and Dani Carvaja on the sidelines.
Courtois will be a miss. But the injury to Rodrygo could be a blessing in disguise for Ancelotti as it frees up Jude Bellingham to come back into the front three alongside Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe.
Bellingham excelled in this position last season. But has had to play in a deeper lying role this term to accommodate the arrival of Mbappe.
Barcelona are still without Ronald Araujo, Ferran Torres, Andreas Christensen, Marc Bernal and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Doubts surround Ter Stegan’s deputy in goal, Inaki Pena. Hansi Flick wouldn’t commit when asked if the Spaniard would be in goal for El Clasico. The Catalans do have Wojciech Szczęsny waiting to come in if required.
On a positive note, Flick now has Frenkie de Jong, Dani Olmo and Gavi all available for selection again. But none started the 4-1 win over Bayern and the returning trio may have to settle for a place on the bench again on Saturday.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona betting tips. 18+ GambleAware.org – Please play responsibly.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona betting tips
Real Madrid are 42 La Liga games unbeaten. They last tasted defeat on September 23rd 2023 when they lost 3-1 to Atletico in the Madrid Derby. If they avoid defeat on Saturday they will equal Baracelona’s record 43 game unbeaten run.
Furthermore, with the two clubs occupying the top two places in the La Liga table, the first El Clasico of the 2024/25 season already feels like it could have a big say in who wins the La Liga title this season. It has the feel of a game that could go either way.
Below, we have named our El Clasico betting tips:
Barcelona or draw in double chance
Madrid has a whole host of world class stars who can win a match with a moment of brilliance.
But at the same time, Los Blancos can look awful at times.
Barcelona look like a real team. The players all know their roles and the team plays with a fluidity that makes them pleasing on the eye to any neutral fan.
Furthermore, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha have been brilliant this season.
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Lewandowski has looked like the striker that dominated the Bundesliga, and Raphinha seems to be getting better every time he pulls on a Barca shirt.
The experienced pair have gelled perfectly with the younger Barcelona playmakers that look set to be the foundation of the club in the coming years.
Barcelona look to be in a good place at the moment. We think they will leave Madrid with at least a point on Saturday.
Back Barcelona to win or draw in double chance market at 3/5 with VBET
Over 3.5 goals
Real Madrid knows how to shut down games. But will they try to do this against Barcelona at home?
Madrid can’t afford to lose. So they have to be on the front foot. But against a Barcelona team that is in good form, that could be a risky strategy.
The bottom line is that Barcelona looks like the stronger team at the moment. They will have the majority of the possession and be the team that dictates how the game will be played.
That is likely to lead to goals at both ends.
Back Over 3.5 goals 1/1 with VBET
Raphinha to score or assist anytime
Raphinha is on absolute fire at the moment. The guy just can’t stop scoring and influencing matches.
On Wednesday he scored a sensational hat-trick against Bayern Munich in the Champions League. He now has four goals in three games in Europe. In La Liga, he has five goals in ten.
But it’s not just the goals that are making the Brazilian stand out. He is becoming a real leader in this Barca team under Hansi Flick.
Raphinha has now become one of the first names on the Barcelona team sheet. And given the vast array of young talent at Barca, that shows how much he has improved in recent months.
His big game temperament is not in doubt. And this is a big game for Barca. We expect to see the former Leeds man have an impact on the match.
Choose Raphinha to score or assist any time at 1/1 with VBET
How to watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Location: Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Madrid, Spain.
Date and time: Saturday 26th October, 8pm BST.
How to watch: La Liga TV and Premier Sports.
Read more about the 2024/25 football season
Premier League winner predictions
Premier League relegation odds
About the author
Dean Etheridge
Dean Etheridge is an experienced freelance sports betting writer who specialises in football. He predominantly covers the Premier League and Champions League but can turn his hand to all aspects of the beautiful game. You can follow Dean on LinkedIn (@deanetheridge)
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