Real Madrid welcomes Barcelona
Description
There might not be a bigger rivalry in the world than Real Madrid and Barcelona. The two Spanish giants have combined to win 58 of 87 La Liga titles. Barcelona won the title last season and are trending towards their second title in a row. On Saturday, Real Madrid host Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu. Real are third in La Liga, nine points behind Barcelona.
Saturday’s game will be the fourth time that Barcelona and Real Madrid will play this season. Earlier this season, Barcelona defeated Real 5-1. The two clubs were drawn against each other in Copa Del Rey. After a 1-1 in the first leg, Barcelona eliminated Real at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, winning 3-0. While Barcelona have more success domestically, Real have owned Europe, winning three straight Champions League titles.
Real have won six of their last seven La Liga games but have struggled to make up any ground on Barcelona. Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale have both been on fire lately. Benzema has four goals in his last five games, while Bale has three goals in his last five games. However, neither player has scored against Barcelona this season. Both players have had limited success against Barcelona in their careers. Benzema has scored only nine goals in 34 games, while Bale has only two goals in 13 games.
Barcelona hold a seven-point lead over Atletico Madrid with 13 games to play. The Catalan side has lost only twice this season in La Liga. Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have combined for 43 goals this season, the same number that the entire Real Madrid team have scored this season. Messi is again having an incredible season, scoring 25 goals and adding 13 assists. The duo will lead the attack as Barcelona looks for their fourth win against Real this season.