Barcelona vs Real Madrid Prediction: Pedri to assist in El Clasico

On Sunday night the two biggest clubs in Spain (and arguably the world) face-off in one of the greatest matches we ever get to see. It has been quite a tumultuous week for the visitors' but can they get back on the right track on the field? Premier Sports 1 will be showing this one live in the UK, with kick-off set for 8PM. 

Our Spanish Football expert previews the action and gives us his top two Barcelona vs Real Madrid Predictions plus all the team news, predicted line-ups and stats...

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No team has ever clinched the Spanish title in El Clásico, but that could all change on Sunday evening. Barcelona need just a point at Camp Nou against Real Madrid to win La Liga. 

Having triumphed in 85% of their league matches this term, it's already a question of when, not if, Barcelona will defend the title they won in Hansi Flick's first season. Sealing the deal in style in this fixture would be extra sweet for everyone connected with the club, and it would be some way to christen the new Camp Nou. 

Despite losing the reverse fixture, the Catalans have performed at a higher level than Real Madrid throughout virtually the entire campaign, although it's only over the past month that they've pulled clear. While their rivals faltered in April, Flick's team have extended their winning streak in La Liga to 10 matches, with late goals from Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres doing the damage at Osasuna last weekend. 

Should they win all of their remaining matches, Barcelona would hit 100 points. That would equal the record set by Tito Vilanova's team in 2012/13 and José Mourinho's Real Madrid in 2011/12. 

Unsurprisingly, given the injury absences of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha, Barça haven't hit top gear in the final third in their last few games. They edged past Celta Vigo 1-0 in their most recent outing at Camp Nou, while they were 2-0 winners against Getafe before their 2-1 triumph at El Sadar. 

That may offer some degree of encouragement to Real Madrid, whose title hopes have evaporated as a result of dropped points against Mallorca, Girona and Real Betis since the start of last month. 

Their build-up to El Clásico has been chaotic and at times barely believable. It's hard to remember either side heading into this fixture on the back of quite so many negative headlines. From teammates fighting and managerial uncertainty, to a fierce backlash against top scorer Kylian Mbappé, the circus that is Real Madrid has had it all over the past week. 

Mbappé faced fierce criticism for his decision to go on holiday while recovering from a hamstring injury. Real Madrid's 2-0 victory at Espanyol last weekend, which featured two brilliant goals from Vinícius Júnior, added further weight to the theory that they are a better team when the Frenchman doesn't play. An online petition calling for the 27-year-old to leave the club has since passed 30 million signatures. 

There have also been two separate incidents of physical altercations between teammates that have become public over the past week. The first involved Álvaro Carreras and Antonio Rüdiger, with the former releasing a statement confirming the clash with the German, but claiming the matter had been resolved. 

The second was more serious, and ended with Fede Valverde being taken to hospital due to a head injury after a second confrontation with Aurélien Tchouaméni in as many days. 

*You can check out all of our Football Odds over on betfred.com

Team News: 

Yamal is the only definite injury absentee for Barcelona, although Andreas Christensen remains doubtful, and is highly unlikely to play any part after a long spell on the sidelines. 

Raphinha was deemed fit enough for a place on the bench in Pamplona last Saturday, but he didn't get on the pitch. That suggests he's only likely to be an impact sub at best here. Jules Koundé is also available again following suspension, while Marcus Rashford and Frenkie de Jong are also pushing for starting roles. 

As for Real Madrid, Álvaro Arbeloa will surely be furious with some of the incidents that have taken place over the past few days. As a result of the Valverde-Tchouaméni scrap, the Uruguayan has joined a long injury list, which already includes Dani Carvajal, Dani Ceballos, Éder Militão, Rodrygo, Arda Güler and Ferland Mendy. 

Tchouaméni has been hit with a heavy fine for his role in the incident, but is expected to be involved in some capacity at Camp Nou. Los Blancos do at least have the option of recalling the fit-again Thibaut Courtois in goal. They still have a fitness doubt over Mbappé, although the hope is that he will be available. 

Match Odds: 

Barcelona are priced at 8/13 favourites to clinch the title with a victory. You can back Real Madrid at 10/3, while the Draw is on offer at 18/5.  

If you fancy the hosts to win it in style, Barça are available at 7/5 with a -1.00 Handicap. You can also back the home team to win and both teams to score at 5/4, while Over 4.5 goals is priced at 6/4. 

Real Madrid are given a 13/10 chance of winning either half. You can back the visitors to score over 1.5 goals at 11/10, while they are priced at 21/10 to score in both halves. 

Lewandowski leads the way as the 10/3 favourite to score first. You can also back the Polish international to net anytime at odds of 4/6. 

With doubts over Mbappé's fitness, Vinícius could be the main threat for the visitors. With four goals in his last three games, the Brazilian is available at 13/2 to score first, while he's priced at 6/4 to score anytime. 

You can also back Jude Bellingham, who netted twice in this fixture in his debut season in Spain, to get on the scoresheet at 13/5. 

*You can place a bet on this match and check out all of our Barcelona vs Real Madrid Odds over on betfred.com

Bet 1 - Barcelona to score over 1.5 goals & Most corners - Barcelona @ 10/11 via Bet Builder

Real Madrid's approach to this game is likely to mirror how they set up against Man City and Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Their performances across those ties, when they are able to play on the break, were among their best this season. 

However, that approach does mean they'll likely need to hold off spells of heavy pressure from Barcelona. Across the two legs of those two European ties, Los Blancos lost the corner count on each occasion, winning 17 and conceding 39 across the four matches. 

Barça boast a 100% home league record. They are averaging 3.06 goals and 7.35 corners per 90 minutes in front of their own fans. I'm using the Bet Builder to back the home team to score over 1.5 goals and win the most corners at 10/11. 

Bet 2 - Pedri to assist a goal @ 11/4 

With Real Madrid needing to play without Valverde, and with Tchouaméni at risk of being punished with a place on the bench, the visitors could be found wanting in midfield. That could lead to more space for Pedri to run the show. 

The Spain international provided a sensational assist for Fermín López at Getafe a fortnight ago. That was the eighth goal he has created this season in La Liga. Only six other players have reached that figure in this term, and the 23-year-old has started just 21 of his team's 34 fixtures. 

Without Yamal, there is even more responsibility on Pedri to play a decisive role in the final third. At odds of 11/4, he looks to offer value to register another assist in this game. 

You can check out Mark's Football Betting Tips along with those from the rest of the Betfred Insights Spanish Football writers on our La Liga home page...

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