Real Madrid are closing in on the La Liga title but their closest competitors Barcelona will look to make their mark when they pay them a visit at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday (8pm GMT).
Eight points separate the rivals heading into Sunday's El Clasico meeting, and Barca know if they are to have any chance of retaining their crown they must win in the capital.
But Real Madrid will be in high spirits after booking their place in the Champions League semi-finals and they are a serious force on their own patch.
- Real Madrid to win
- Under 2.5 goals
- Rodrygo anytime goalscorer
Real Can Build CL Win
The El Clasico pair enjoyed contrasting fortunes in their respective midweek Champions League endeavours.
While Barcelona tumbled out of the competition on Tuesday following a frustrating 4-1 loss at home to Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid knocked out defending champions Manchester City on penalties at the Etihad Stadium.
Los Blancos survived an onslaught of 33 shots from City on Wednesday, showcasing the kind of defensive grit which is crucial in matches of such magnitude.
Bayern Munich now await them in the last four of the Champions League but first they have two key league fixtures to navigate, starting with Sunday's crunch clash with Barcelona.
Each of the last three Clasicos have gone the way of Real, including a 4-1 win over Barcelona in January's Spanish Super Cup final in Saudi Arabia.
Real are unbeaten in their last 16 games in all competitions, last losing to Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey in January, and they have been the standout team in Spain this season.
They have won 24 of their 31 games in La Liga and have the squad depth to cope with the quick turnaround in fixtures, so back them to post three points against their biggest rivals.
Goals Could Be At A Premium
With such attacking class on display, punters could be forgiven for assuming Sunday's El Clasico will be full of goals. However, Real Madrid have adopted a pretty conservative approach recently, suggesting goals could be at a premium.
Under 2.5 goals has been a winning bet in three of Real's last four matches and that could be another shrewd pick for Sunday's match.
With the fixtures coming thick and fast, Carlo Ancelotti has been happy for his side to sit back more and their last two league wins have been 1-0 against Real Mallorca and 2-0 against Athletic Bilbao.
Rodrygo To Continue Scoring Streak
In terms of goalscorer picks, punters should look no further than Real Madrid ace Rodrygo.
Although behind teammates Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior in the scoring charts, Rodrygo has scored ten times in La Liga this season and he has netted four times in Madrid's last four games.
That streak featured goals in both legs of the Champions League tie with Manchester City and he can again show he is the man for the big occasion.
