Barcelona vs Real Madrid betting tips: Goals on the menu in Dallas El Clasico
- Sergiu Baltuta
- 28 July 2023
Real Madrid and Barcelona will face each other in a friendly game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Saturday in a match that will very likely fill Dallas Cowboys’ 80,000-seater stadium.
Of course, the term 'friendly' is used loosely here, as any El Clasico clash between these two Spanish giants always has a little added spice to go with the appetising main course.
The two rivals are now in full preparation for the new season, with Real having played two friendly games so far to Barcelona's one, and this high-profile encounter will no doubt be another opportunity for Los Blancos' boss Carlo Ancelotti to see his new players in action.
The three friendly games these two teams have played between them so far have produced 15 goals, while three of the last five games between the two teams have produced four goals.
Given the nature of this encounter and the stage of each side's pre-season development, we can probably expect more of the same (and then some) in Texas on Saturday night.
The Italian manager's squad has welcomed several new faces during the summer, the most important undoubtedly being the arrival of, Jude Bellingham, who was signed from Borussia Dortmund for a reported £88million.
England's bright new star joins Fran Garcia, Arda Guler, Joselu and Brahim Diaz on the list of new arrivals, as Real Madrid enter something of a rebuilding phase., Going through the exit door at the Bernabeu were the likes of Mariano Diaz, Eden Hazard, Jesus Vallejo, Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema, who have all moved on to ventures new.
Real Madrid have played two games so far during their tour of the United States, managing a hard-earned 3-2 win against AC Milan and a 2-0 victory over Manchester United, with the newly-arrived Bellingham and Joselu both finding the net in the latter game.
In contrast, Barcelona have been somewhat limited in the transfer market, with the Catalans focusing their finances on their ongoing stadium rebuilding project.
The one notable acquisition this summer has been Ilkay Gundogan whose arrival from Treble -winning Manchester City is meant to enhance a strong midfield that already boasts Pedri, Gavi and Frenkie de Jong. Former Southampton midfielder Oriol Romeu can be added to that list, and his arrival from Girona is meant to help fill the vast gap left by the departure of Sergio Busquets to Inter Miami in the MLS.
Barcelona had to cancel a friendly game this summer because of some medical concerns within the squad. Their only friendly so far was Wednesday's 5-3 reversal at the hands of Arsenal, but head coach Xavi changed his entire starting XI at half-time, so the match was clearly a pipe-opener for all involved.
Even in defeat, Xavi will have been pleased to see Robert Lewandowski, Ferran Torres and Raphina all find their scoring boots, and he is likely to field a strong team against his Spanish rivals on Saturday night.
