Barcelona vs Real Madrid 28/10/18
28 October 2018
The 238th competitive El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid will take place at Camp Nou this weekend, with the visitors desperately trying to end a 4-game La Liga winless streak.
The Catalans currently top league table with a record of five wins, three draws, and one loss although they are yet to impress this season. Despite the fact, the Blaugrana haven’t lost a game at home, they’ve played out two draws in front of the home supporters, with Girona and Athletic Bilbao walking away from Camp Nou with a point apiece. However, with 18 goals bagged in Catalonia, the 5-time Champions League winners have by far the most remarkable goal scoring record in Spanish top flight, as the only team to notch double figures. Additionally, Ernesto Valverde’s players will enter the big showdown highly motivated following a 2-0 win over Inter Milan in midweek’s Champions League clash.
On the other hand, Julen Lopetegui may see his job slipping through his hands in case of another failure, considering Los Blancos currently occupy the 7th place with a 4-point deficit to arch-rivals. Not only Los Merengues failed to clinch a victory in the previous four league matches, but they’ve lost three of them, including the one against Levante at Santiago Bernabeu last weekend. Although Real ended a disastrous 3-game losing run in all competitions by defeating Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League, they’ve struggled to convince the fans who want to see Lopetegui’s back as soon as possible. Therefore, the former Porto boss needs to return from Barcelona with some points in his pocket if looking to avoid an early farewell.
Provisional line-up – Barcelona:
Gk: Marc-Andre ter Stegen Defense: Pique – Lenglet – Jordi Alba – Semedo Midfield: Arthur – Sergio Busquets – Rakitic Attack: Coutinho – Dembele – Luis Suarez
Provisional line-up – Real Madrid:
Gk: Courtois Defense: Sergio Ramos – Varane – Marcelo – Odriozola Midfield: Casemiro – Modric – Kroos Attack: Bale – Isco – Benzema