La Liga Preview and Stats, Real Madrid vs Barcelona: 168th El Clasico expected to be best match in years!

Real Madrid welcome their fiercest title-rival Barcelona to the Santiago Bernabeu.

Updated: March 25, 2014 2:23 PM IST

By Shouvik Chakraborty

La Liga Preview and Stats, Real Madrid vs Barcelona: 168th El Clasico expected to be best match in years!

Real Madrid welcome their fiercest title-rival Barcelona to the Santiago Bernabeu. It’s the 168th La Liga Clasico between an in-form Real Madrid and a Barcelona who haven’t had a hold at the title since the season began. (Read: Messi hat-trick guides Barcelona to a win)

The clash could see Real Madrid who currently top the table, take a big step towards winning the title. Barcelona could miss out on bagging the La Liga for the second time in a row.

Both are the world’s two richest clubs and the El Clasico features the two best players in the world – Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The hotly contested meeting also features Barcelona’s latest signing Neymar go head-to-head with Real Madrid’s in form Welshman Gareth Bale.

Real Madrid are currently on 70 points with 10 games left. Under the hands of Italian manager Carlo Ancelotti, they have been in great form and are going into the match having put together an unbeaten run of 31 matches in all competitions since they lost 2-1 to Barcelona in their previous meeting in the La Liga at the end of October.

The game is also a warm-up for the Copa del Ray final between the two sides on April 16. Real Madrid and Barcelona could also be drawn against each other in the Champions League.

INTERESTING STATS (By Opta)

– Real Madrid have only won two of their last 11 league meetings with Barcelona (D2 L7), and both came by the odd goal.

– The Whites have the opportunity to win two successive Clasicos at the Bernabeu for the first time since 2008.

– Since the 2008/09 campaign, Barcelona have won three more Clasicos (five) than Real Madrid have (two) at the Bernabeu.

– Real Madrid and Barcelona have both found the net in each of the last 14 Clasicos in all competitions (Real Madrid 24, Barcelona 25).

– The last time either side failed to net was back in April 2011, when Real Madrid failed to score in a Champions League home game (0-2).

– Barcelona have scored in each of their last 11 trips to the Santiago Bernabeu in all competitions; the last time they failed to net was back in October 2006 (2-0 in La Liga).

– Barcelona have only lost one of seven games in all competitions against sides managed by Carlo Ancelotti (W3 D3): 1-0 in October 2004.

– Neymar both scored and assisted on his Clasico debut earlier in the campaign.

– Jese Rodriguez scored his first La Liga goal in the reverse fixture with Barcelona, with Ronaldo picking up his first ever Clasico assist for that strike.

– Only against Espanyol (five) has Xavi scored more league goals than he has against Real (four).

– Leo Messi is the top scorer in league Clasicos amongst current players (11).

– Indeed if he scores in this game, Messi will overtake Alfredo Di Stefano as the top scorer in all-time Clasicos in all competitions (currently tied on 18).

– Real Madrid have only lost one of four Clasicos with Diego Lopez in the starting eleven (W2 D1) though this was in the Nou Camp earlier this term.

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