El Clasico Betting Preview: Back at least two goals in the first half at Camp Nou

El Clasico; the game defined by two words sees two teams, separated by four points, meet for the sixth time this season.

After their respective Champions League disappointments in midweek, both Barcelona and Real Madrid will be fully focused on their domestic duties with this Clasico being perhaps the most pivotal match of the entire La Liga campaign.

A victory for Barcelon,a which is priced at 4/6 (1.67) by William Hill, would cut the gap on Los Blancos to a solitary point, and inflict a psychological blow of enormous proportions upon a Madrid side who at one stage held a 10- point advantage over their Catalan rivals.

Conversely, should Jose Mourinho mastermind a first league triumph over Barca for nearly four years, the title would effectively be Madrid's and an away win is on offer at a rather hefty 4/1 (5.00).

The problems of course for Mourinho, Madrid and the many Madridistas across the world is that Los Blancos' record against the Blaugrana has in recent years been disastrous.

Their only victory in their last 14 meetings, came in extra time in the final of last season's Copa del Rey. Back in December, Barca outclassed Madrid 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu and given the record between the two sides, the 11/1 (12.00) on a repeat of that scoreline could be tempting.

More likely to happen is that both sides will score and that is available at 4/7 (1.57), a bet that has paid out in each of their last six meetings.

Madrid have only failed to score once in their last 45 matches in all competitions, while Barca have only drawn a blank once in their last 20 league games.

Goals look certain to be on the cards, and although the price for both teams to score is not huge, it should see a return on any investment.

Yet if goals look on the cards a more tempting bet for this Clasico is for there to be over 1.5 goals in the first half, available at the irresistible price of 6/4 (2.20).

It has paid out in four of the last five meetings between these two fierce rivals, and given all that is at stake for both sides, not to mention the fact that in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo they possess the league's joint top scorers with 41 goals a piece, a first half with at least two goals looks likely.

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