Expect fireworks in the first El Classico of the 2016-17 La Liga Season, as Spanish football giants Real Madrid and Barcelona duke it out on the pitch at Camp Nuo in Barcelona, Spain.
Preview - Current Forms / Head-to-Head:
Barcelona remains a top-notch football club this season, though not as dominant as they were in previous years. Despite getting back Lionel Messi's service, Barcelona hasn't taken off that much.
Barcelona has collected 27 points (8 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws) in 13 games, which is good in second place along with Sevilla. Real Madrid meanwhile also dropped three matches but recorded 10 wins to keep the top spot of La Liga standings with 33 points.
Barca are coming off a 1-1 draw with Hercules in a round-of-32 Copa del Rey match. Madrid had a better 5-match stretch, including dominant victories against Atletico Madrid (3-0), Leganes (3-0) at UEFA Champions League, and Cultural Leonesa (6-1) in Round-of-32 Copa del Rey affair.
Real Madrid won 3 of their last 5 showdown with the Catalonian ballclub and in fact, they eked out a pivotal 2-1 win at Santiago de Bernabeu last April.
Players on Spotlight:
Barcelona: Messi is still going to be the marked man for Barcelona, having recorded nine goals in 10 matches. He will be backed up by Luis Suarez with 8 goals in 12 matches and Rafinha with 5 goals in 8 games.
Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored 10 goals in the same numbers of matches, 5 more than the injured winger Gareth Bale. Alvaro Morata with 4 goals in 11 matches is expected to step up his game anew to match up Barcelona's attacking firepower.
Possible Starting Lineup & Prediction:
Game starts at 10:15 US EST, Check TV and Livestream listing on Live Soccer TV
Barcelona (4-3-3 formation): ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Gomes; Messi, Suárez, Neymar
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1 formation): Navas; Danilo, Pepe, Ramos, Nacho; Modric, Kovacic; Lucas, Rodriguez, Ronaldo; Benzema
Real Madrid are in much superior form than their rivals right now, that's why they are going to be the favorites in the match. Barca will try to make the game interesting but in the end, Madrid will take home a 3-1 win at Camp Nou.