Match Preview: Spanish La Liga - Real Madrid VS FC Barcelona

Spanish La Liga - Real Madrid VS FC Barcelona
Match Time: 22-04-2024 03:00 Monday (GMT+8)
Football Livescore | Match Prediction & Tips
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This Sunday, fierce rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona will face each other in the latest installment of El Clasico. Real Madrid is vying to extend their lead by 11 points over second-placed Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table.

Both teams are coming off their Champions League quarter-final matches, with Real Madrid managing to knock out Manchester City to advance to the competition's semi-finals. However, Barcelona fell out of the race to Paris Saint-Germain after a challenging second leg match on their home turf.

Real Madrid's potential win over Barcelona on Sunday could carefully secure their title in Spain's top flight as it will expand their lead by 11 points with six games left to go. It will be very hard to imagine a turnaround from that stage. Ancelotti's team beat Mallorca 1-0 in their recent league match and also made their way past Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, Barcelona suffered a disappointing 4-1 home defeat to PSG in the second leg of their quarter-final, causing their exit from the competition. Now, their sole focus is on the league, and this game against Real Madrid is a must-win for them to retain their La Liga title this season.

Real Madrid is without Thibaut Courtois and David Alaba due to knee injuries but has gained a double fitness boost with Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior both available for the game. Aurelien Tchouameni is back from a European suspension and could feature in the middle of the defense alongside Antonio Rudiger.

Barcelona will have Sergi Roberto and Andreas Christensen back in the squad after missing the PSG match due to suspensions. However, Gavi and Alejandro Balde are still out with long-term knee injuries.

Real Madrid Possible Starting Lineup:
Lunin; Carvajal, Rudiger, Tchouameni, Mendy; Valverde, Camavinga, Kroos; Bellingham; Vinicius, Rodrygo

Barcelona Possible Starting Lineup:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Cubarsi, Cancelo; Gundogan, Christensen, F de Jong; Pedri, Lewandowski, Raphinha

Match Prediction:
Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona