La Liga: Can Barca Continue Their El Clasico Dominance?

Real Madrid vs Barcelona

2024/25 was some campaign for Barcelona. Not only did they win back the La Liga title, but the Blaugrana won four El Clasicos, scoring a whopping 16 goals in the process.

Real Madrid vs. Barcelona is one of world football’s iconic fixtures. But last season, it was heavily one-sided, as Hansi Flick’s men did the league double as well as beating Los Blancos in the Spanish Super Cup and winning the Copa del Rey. Xabi Alonso hasn’t yet tasted El Clasico defeat as the new Real Madrid manager, but then neither has Flick.

Both teams come into the game on the back of a Champions League success. Barcelona obliterated Olympiacos 6-1 on Tuesday night, as Fermin Lopez scored his first-ever career hat-trick.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid vs Juventus on Wednesday was one of SBOTOP’s picks of the week. But while there were goals aplenty across Europe, Alonso’s Los Blancos had to work hard for a 1-0 win over I Bianconeri. A rebound guided home by Jude Bellingham was enough to make it three wins from three in Europe, while Barca sit below on six points.

Back to this coming Sunday, it’s El Clasico time again, and the big question is can Los Blancos break the 2024/25 curse?

 

Talking Points

A win is a win for ruthless Blancos

After losing the big Madrid Derby recently, Alonso’s men recovered to convincingly win a Champions League tie against the minnows of Kairat before picking up a hard-fought victory over Villarreal with the help of a penalty and a red card for their visitors.

Los Blancos’ meeting with Getafe last weekend was a good opportunity to grab another three points and return to the top of the table, and Real managed it, but they needed more help from the officials and a late goal to secure a 1-0 win. Getafe had Allan Nyom sent off just 44 seconds after he came on for a training arm on Vinicius Jr., and Alex Sancris followed him off the pitch seven minutes later. Los Blancos had not really tested Getafe keeper David Soria, but an 80th-minute strike from Kylian Mbappe was enough to secure another vital win.

And one goal was all that was needed to beat Juventus as Bellingham converted from close range after Vinicius had hit the woodwork. But until that 57th-minute breakthrough, the Bianconeri defence was relatively untroubled. But a result is a result, and now Los Blancos are one of five teams with a 100-per cent record in the Champions League, and they are top of the Primera Division, with a four-match winning run. It may not be pretty, but it is successful, and winning is a habit.

 

Barcelona back on track

Flick’s Barca have suffered their own blip, edged out by the odd goal in three against PSG, and the Blaugrana really threw one in when they met Sevilla in the league, losing 4-1 with their hosts scoring twice in injury time. But a home win against a dangerous Girona side and a strong showing against Olympiacos has got Barcelona back on track, and Flick will be delighted with the performance of Fermin Lopez and two-goal Marcus Rashford.

Lamine Yamal got on the score-sheet with a penalty, and that will give him confidence after a strangely quiet period for the youngster. But Fermin’s third goal, a stunning volley, is a measure of his confidence right now, and he will hope to start again on Sunday with Dani Olmo also pushing for a place. They are not quite at last season’s levels, but with Pedri also in superb form, Barca aren’t so far away.

The La Liga 2025 betting odds back a home win, but I suspect Flick’s men will go to the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium with plenty of confidence.

 

History

These two El Clasico giants have met each other in every La Liga season since they were founded in 1929 as two of the three clubs, alongside Athletic Bilbao, never to be relegated from the Spanish top-flight.

Last season, the Blaugrana won this fixture 4-0 with a brace from Robert Lewandowski, and then won the Catalonia rematch 4-3 with Raphinha grabbing two goals on that occasion. But in total, Los Blancos still have their noses in front by 105 to 104 wins in competitive matches. And in Madrid, they have a record of 68 wins, 25 draws, and 32 losses.

In terms of recent form, both clubs have recovered from a blip, Real Madrid winning five and losing one of the last six games, while Barcelona have won four and lost two.

 

Betting Tip

Having totally dominated the La Liga 2025 results last season, the Blaugrana may have had a slight psychological edge, but Los Blancos have a huge motive for revenge. Away from the emotion of the situation, these are two exceptional sides who look certain to battle out the race for the Primera Division.

With Real Madrid priced at 1.95 and the draw at 4.00, all three results are well in play. But I have the gut feel that Barca’s returned momentum, a day more to prepare, and the pressure on the hosts to buck a trend will play in Blaugrana’s favour.

   

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