The head-to-heads have been incredibly entertaining in recent seasons, and Barcelona won the last El Clasico 3-2. That was the Spanish Super Cup final, which took place in January, and it was one of the games of the season. After a relatively cagey start, Raphinha opened the scoring in the 36th minute, and then there were three goals in the space of four minutes during first half stoppage time. It was level going into the break, before Raphinha scored the decisive goal in the 73rd minute.

Despite there being five goals, both goalkeepers were exceptional - Joan Garcia racked up seven saves, while Thibaut Courtois finished the game with four to his name. Chances were freely available at both ends of the field. This selection has landed in eight of the last 10 El Clasicos, with exactly three goals in the two that didn't land this bet.

Pedri has committed just eight fouls in his 26 La Liga appearances this season, which works out to just 0.38 fouls per 90, but exactly half of those infringements came against Real Madrid in the reverse fixture. In fact, Pedri was booked after just 42 minutes in that match, and he was sent off in stoppage time for a cynical foul - those are the only two cards he has picked up in the league all season. 

His foul numbers rise significantly when playing against Real Madrid, and Pedri committed two fouls when the sides met in January - once again, he was carded. Pedri has booked in each of his last three matches against Los Blancos.

Vinicius Junior has a solid record against Barcelona, and he was heavily involved when the sides last met in the Super Cup. The Brazil international scored the first goal of the game for his side, and he was unfortunate not to add more to his tally on the night. Vinicius finished the game with five shots, and four hit the target. He saw a much greater responsibility in that game with Kylian Mbappe only fit enough to feature from the bench, and that could be the case again this weekend as the Frenchman has been struggling with an injury. 

Even with Mbappe in the starting XI, Vinicius has landed this selection in each of his last three games against the Catalans, which shows how he tends to take things up a gear when playing in El Clasico. Vinicius is averaging 3.36 shots per 90 in the league this season, and 46% of those efforts have hit the target.

Vinicius has scored 15 goals from his 33 league appearances this season, but in addition to his attacking threat, he has also picked up eight yellow cards. He often looks to press from the front, and the Brazilian is also sometimes guilty of talking himself into the referee’s notebook. Vinicius has plenty of experience in this matchup against Barcelona, and he is averaging 1.44 fouls per 90 against them since the 18/19 season. In recent years, he has accrued 10 fouls in his last six starts, with four bookings in that period. 

Barcelona have never won the La Liga title by beating Real Madrid, so this is quite a significant fixture at Camp Nou. Tensions will be high, and in an emotionally-charged atmosphere, Vinicius is one to target to pick up a booking.

Fermin Lopez is another player who takes this rivalry incredibly seriously and he is averaging 3.47 fouls per 90 against Real Madrid from his eight appearances in El Clasico. The La Masia graduate has been carded in four of those matches, despite only making four starts, which shows how Real Madrid aren’t his favourite opponent. 

Fermin Lopez scored in the October fixture at the Bernabeu, and the 22-year-old left it late before eventually picking up a booking in the 99th minute. He is averaging 1.91 fouls per 90 across all competitions this season, highlighting how he is one of the most combative players in this Barcelona squad, and he has racked up seven infringements in his last two starts alone. 

His most recent booking came against Atletico Madrid, which shows how Fermin Lopez takes things up a gear in the more competitive matchups.

Lewandowski has netted 13 goals across his 14 starts in LaLiga this term, and may have to step up for Barcelona here with the likes of Lamine Yamal and Raphinha set to be unavailable.

Lewandowski had four shots when the sides last met, seeing one of those efforts find the target as Barcelona came away 3-2 winners over Real in the Super Cup. He also scored against Osasuna in Barcelona’s most recent league assignment, so he comes into this game with some solid form.

He’s had 59 shots in LaLiga this season (3.85 per 90), seeing an impressive 27 of those efforts find the target (1.76 per 90). I still think Barcelona will play in the same way they have been all season, even while missing some of their star players, though Lewandowski should find a few more chances fall his way as the main attacking threat for Barcelona here.