Fans had their fill of European cuisine in midweek when UEFA served another round of sumptuous fixtures. Now we return to our bread and butter this weekend, but this is no ordinary bread and butter offering, it’s the biggest fixtures in Spain and England, its Real Madrid versus Barcelona and Liverpool against Manchester City on Sunday, October 16.

Event # 1 – SPA, Real Madrid vs Barcelona – 9:150 am

The first El Clasico of the 2022/2023 campaign takes centre stage on Sunday between Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona in the Spanish capital as both are currently tied on 22 points in the league, with Barcelona ahead on goal difference. Defending champions Real Madrid are eager to defend their La Liga title, and their form so far this season suggests it will be a dogfight to the end.

Real Madrid are in excellent form heading into this clash having defeated Getafe in a local derby at the weekend before playing to a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donetsk in Champions League midweek action. At home, Real are in imperious form having won five of their last seven league matches and suffering just a single defeat in their previous 10 home matches.

Barcelona, on the other hand, dosen’t have the best form on the road, having suffered four defeats in their last six matches in all competitions. Barcelona recorded a hard-fought 1-0 over Celta Vigo at the weekend and were held in midweek in the Champions League midweek action and are now on the verge of a first-round exit. Barcelona ended last season with a bang, and with the additions of some big names (Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha, amongst others) the former giants were expected to return to their glory days and once again challenge Real Madrid for top honours. Indeed, this is exactly why this clash is vital to both teams as La Liga rules state that if two teams end on equal points, the one with the better head-to-head record will be given the advantage, which means Sunday’s clash could prove crucial later on in the season.

KEY STATS

• Real Madrid – have won five of their last six matches against Barcelona in all competitions (L1), as many victories as in their previous 18 meetings (W5 D4 L9).

• Barcelona – following their 4-0 win in March 2022, Barcelona have the chance to win two straight games against Real Madrid in LaLiga for the first time since March 2019 under Ernesto Valverde, while they last won back-to-back matches against them without conceding in the competition between November 2009 and November 2010 under Pep Guardiola.

• Both sides – El Clásico is the most played fixture in LaLiga history, with the two sides meeting 184 times in the competition, 76 wins for Real Madrid and 73 for Barcelona and 35 draws, with each team scoring the same number of goals (295).

The betting tip. Real Madrid win.

Event #2 EPL – Liverpool vs Manchester City – 10:30 am

A struggling Liverpool will host red-hot Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday, looking to turn around their recent terrible form. Both these teams finished second (Liverpool) and first last season, with Liverpool falling short by a single point despite a gallant effort. Since the Christmas break of 2021, Liverpool have been on an impressive winning run, but they have made a horrendous start to this season. In fact, Liverpool are struggling in 10th place without a win in their last three league matches. They have taken just two points from the last nine available to them with back-to-back draws followed by another painful defeat last weekend, this time going down to the in-form Arsenal. With confidence at an all-time low, there came a ray of hope after their 7-1 triumph against Rangers in the Champions League on Wednesday last with Mohamed Salah rediscovering his goal touch. Things could get very ugly for Liverpool if City arrives at Anfield in their usual goalscoring mood.

Manchester City have dominated English football in recent times, barring a surprise league title for opponents Liverpool in 2020 during the COVID-19-affected season, when many of the matches were played behind closed doors. Sitting second in the table behind leaders Arsenal, City will be aiming to tighten the screws on Liverpool’s faltering season and show their dominance over their main rivals. Indeed, the defending champions have been scoring goals for fun with 33 goals scored and nine conceded from their opening nine matches, and they remain the only unbeaten side left in the league. City will be relishing the opportunity and rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of facing an already-nervy Liverpool defence that has been leaking goals in recent times. Man City enter this match in irrepressible form, having won four and drawn one of their last five matches.

KEY STATS

• Liverpool – have scored at least twice in each of their last four meetings with Manchester City in all competitions (W2 D2). No team has ever scored twice in five consecutive games against a side managed by Pep Guardiola before.

• Man City – have lost just one of their last 37 Premier League games and are unbeaten in their last 21 (W16 D5). Away from home, the Citizens are unbeaten in 22 Premier League games (W16 D6), the fourth longest such run in the competition’s history.

• Both sides – Liverpool are winless in their last five Premier League games against Manchester City (D3 L2). They’ve never gone six without a win against the Citizens in their league history.

The betting tip. Man City win & both teams to score

JUSTBET ODDS – Real Madrid vs Barcelona

Sunday, October 16, 2022

PredictionOdds on PredictionOdds Calculation

REAL MADRID TO WIN $2.30which means a $1,000 bet would pay $2,300

BARCELONA TO WIN $2.90which means a $1,000 bet would pay $2,900

MATCH TO DRAW $3.50which means a $1,000 bet would pay $5,500

Odds on the Home Team (Real) winning the game 2-0 at full time$14.00which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $14,000

Odds on the Away Team (Barca) winning the game 0-1 at full time$13.00which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $13,000

Odds on the game drawing 1-1 at full time $6.75which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $6,750.

JUSTBET ODDS – Liverpool vs Manchester City

Sunday, October 16, 2022

PredictionOdds on PredictionOdds Calculation

LIVERPOOL TO WIN $4.00which means a $1,000 bet would pay $4,000

MANCHESTER CITY TO WIN $1.74which means a $1,000 bet would pay $1,740

MATCH TO DRAW $4.25which means a $1,000 bet would pay $4,250

Odds on the Home Team (L/pool) winning the game 2-1 at full time$14.00which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $14,000

Odds on the Away Team (City) winning the game 2-3 at full time$19.00which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $19,000

Odds on the game drawing 2-2 at full time$12.00which means that a $1,000 bet would pay $12,000.