27th Apr 2011 | Football
Real Madrid v Barcelona Tip
The impetus is with Real Madrid, especially with Mourinho not in the habit of losing at home.
It is the fourth chapter of El Clásico this season and there are hints that Jose Mourinho is getting the upper hand. A sign that the gap had closed was Real Madrid’s extra time victory in the Copa del Rey. Although the cup itself is not high on Real’s priority list - so much so that Sergio Ramos was happy to throw it off a bus - beating Barcelona is.
As we have seen with Arsenal, the psychological effect of losing a minor domestic honour can be drastic. Three days after the final Barcelona struggled to beat relegation threatened Osasuna and a combination of poor form and defensive injuries is mounting. Influential midfield Andres Iniesta misses the first leg on Wednesday night although Carlos Puyol should return.
All the momentum is with Real Madrid and if there is to be a winner, Los Blancos are the more likely team. At 17/10 the price on a home win is fairly skinny so we will go for the added insurance of backing Real in the draw no bet market. Jose Mourinho does not lose many games at home, only 1 in the last 150. If the match does end in a draw, we get our money back.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 09:45 27th Apr, 2011 but subject to change
