On the night of July 30th, a friendly match is scheduled to occur in the American city of Arlington, featuring a face-off between Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Barcelona
Barcelona claimed the Spanish championship title at the conclusion of the last season. It’s worth mentioning that they secured the gold medal well before the championship’s end, only losing six out of 38 matches, with three of those losses occurring in the final four fixtures.
One notable aspect of the Catalans’ performance in last season’s Primera was their impressive defensive record, as they conceded a mere 20 goals throughout the entire tournament.
During the summer, veteran players Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets departed the team. On the other hand, Ilkay Gündogan and Iñigo Martínez joined as free agents, while Oriol Romeu required a transfer fee.
However, on the European stage, Barcelona’s performance was lacklustre. They were eliminated from the Champions League during the group stage and bowed out of the Europa League in the Round of 16, losing to MU with an aggregate score of 2-4 (2-2 and 1-2).
In the off-season, Barca has already participated in two friendly matches. They defeated the Japanese club Kobe 2-0 in the first match but suffered a defeat against London Arsenal with a scoreline of 3-5 in the second game.
Real Madrid
Real Madrid finished second in the Spanish league last season, losing to their upcoming opponent by as much as ten points.
However, Madrid was not left without trophies, winning the national cup. In the final, they coped with Pamplona “Osasuna”, winning that fight with a score of 2:1.
The Los Blancos have performed better in the European matches than their upcoming opponent. They reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they lost to the future winner of the tournament – Man City (1:1 and 0:4).
The Royal club also have losses, the main one being Karim Benzema, who has moved to Saudi Arabia. Marco Asensio and Eden Hazard left as free agents. Unlike Barcelona, Real Madrid has already spent a lot of money in the transfer market, spending over 100 million euros for Jude Bellingham alone. Arda Güler and Joselu have come in for rotation.
Last season, these clubs played five meetings, three of which were won by the Catalans and twice by Madrid. Real Madrid have already played two friendly matches in the US – 3-2 wins over AC Milan and 2-0 over Manchester United.
More: How to watch Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Prediction and odds
In the friendly matches in the USA, Real Madrid and Barcelona adopt an open and experimental style of play, allowing all players in their squads to showcase their abilities. Despite their experimental nature, they have been able to achieve positive results.
Barcelona, known for their attacking approach, are unlikely to change their style today. As a result, it is reasonable to anticipate a goal-filled spectacle in this game, as there is no pressure for a specific outcome.
Our prediction for this match is that it will be highly productive, with a total of more than three goals scored.
Odds on the outcome
Real Madrid displayed a strong and composed performance in the previous matches against Manchester United and Milan, even though they fielded different lineups in each half. Xavi’s Barcelona did a similar lineup rotation but didn’t achieve the desired outcome in the game against Arsenal. Regarding gameplay and physical readiness, Madrid’s team appears more well-rounded and prepared, making it sensible to favour them in this scenario.
