Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Best bets for this weekend's El Clasico

Barcelona welcome Real Madrid to the Camp Nou this weekend in the first El Clasico duel of the 2021-22 campaign.

The visitors sit second in La Liga heading into the fixture, while Barcelona find themselves dwelling in 7th and are in desperate need of a victory to propel themselves back into the title-race. 

With the table so tight at present, a win for Ronald Koeman’s men would see them leapfrog their rivals, though a win for Los Blancos would add a comfortable five-point cushion to their lead over the Catalonians in the Spanish top-flight.

We’ve taken a closer look at the Barcelona vs Real Madrid betting odds to bring you three bets for Saturday’s game, each of which can be found below.

My first selection is Real Madrid to win and BTTS. This bet has landed in the pair’s previous two meetings in La Liga, where Real have won 3-1 and 2-1 respectively. Barca actually haven’t beaten their rivals since March 2019, with the previous three matches seeing the points awarded to Los Blancos and the fourth ending in a goalless draw. 

Madrid’s record away from home this season has been really impressive. Carlo Ancelotti’s side have lost just one of their seven clashes on the road in 2021-22 (all comps), and after a thumping 5-0 victory away at Shakhtar in the Champions League in midweek, confidence levels should be high which will give them a boost here. 3/1 seems a nice bit of value for this opening play.

Karim Benzema scoring goals is just inevitable. The Frenchman is one of the most underrated players of our generation, with his consistency in the final third continuing this season. So far, Benzema has scored 9 goals in La Liga - topping the chart after 8 games - while he has notched a further 2 in the UCL.

His goalscoring record against Barcelona is hugely impressive, too, with 10 goals scored in 39 career appearances against the Catalans (9 assists), and with Barca looking so open at the back this term (6 goals conceded in their last 4 games) I can see Benzema finding the net at the Camp Nou this weekend.

Sergio Busquets is my angle for a card for this game. The ever-present Spaniard is the glue which holds Barcelona’s midfield together and brings a calm head to proceedings in the middle of the park. 

However, he is not a stranger to the referee’s notebook. Throughout a glistening career, the 33-year-old has amassed a whopping 155 yellow cards! Furthermore, this season he tops the pile for bookings in Barca’s squad - alongside Gavi - with three cautions to his name, and is committing on average 1.13 fouls per game in La Liga (second-highest).

Right in the thick of the action and up against his club’s fiercest rivals, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Busquets’ name taken this weekend, so he rounds off my trio of tips for Saturday’s encounter. 

Good luck to anyone following these bets - and please remember to gamble responsibly.