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Soccer Odds: Los Blancos with Sturdy Lead Over Barca

Don Aguero

by Don Aguero in Soccer News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:38 AM PST

Ronaldo Celebrates a goal
Photo Credit: Jan Solo CC License

Real Madrid (+140) vs. Barcelona (+174), Draw (+325)

Real Madrid already have one hand on the 2017 Spanish Super Cup after beating Barcelona 3-1 in the first leg. Now all they have to do is hold on. The two teams will meet at the Bernabéu on Wednesday (August 16th) for the second leg. If you like Real Madrid’s chances, or think there could be an upset, check out our review of the top sportsbooks. You’ll easily be able to find one that suites your betting needs. 

It was a painful defeat for Barcelona at Camp Nou. An unfortunate deflection from Pique opened the scoring in the second half for Real Madrid, granting them a well-deserved lead. Barcelona leveled the playing field after Luis Suarez was awarded a dubious penalty which Messi calmly converted. But after that, it was all Los Blancos. Cristiano Ronaldo put Madrid up 2-1 with a spectacular goal and the young Marco Asensio put the game out of reach with an equally impressive marker.

Ronaldo will miss the second leg after collecting two needless yellow cards in the first match. He was shown his first caution after taking his shirt off in celebration (of course) and collected a second for diving in the dying minutes of the match (when they were already up 2-1).

The absence of Ronaldo is a setback for Real Madrid but they’ll be fine without him. He didn’t start for Los Blancos in the first leg and only came into the game in the second half. With Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, and Isco as their front three, Real Madrid still have a ton of firepower on the attack.

Barcelona started local boy Gerard Deulofeu on the left wing in place of Neymar, and later replaced him with Denis Suárez. Both are promising young players (both 23 years old), but neither are adequate replacements for Neymar. Barca are still on the hunt for a world-class left winger but time is quickly running out for them.

In order to close a two-goal deficit (which includes three away-goals), Barcelona are going to have to open themselves up and force the attack in the second leg. That puts them in a vulnerable position against Real Madrid, who are lethal in transition and possess one of the most effective counter-attacks in world football.

Ernesto Valverde’s Barca is not well-equipped to handle Real Madrid this season. After signing 29-year-old midfielder Paulinho from the Chinese Super League for a whopping €40 million, the club’s decision making process is baffling at best and suspicious at worst. Zidane’s Real Madrid is undoubtedly the best squad in Europe at the moment and it’s going to take something tremendous to beat them at the Bernabéu.

Pick: Real Madrid (+140)

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