Spanish Cup Semi-finals: Second Leg – Barça v Real Madrid
Some games are bigger than the competitions themselves. El Clásico is probably the most interesting national derby of the 21st century so far. At least in the eyes of many soccer aficionados.
Whether this playoff would happen in the quarter-finals, semi-finals, or the final itself, winning (or not losing) to the bitter rivals is more important than the silverware itself.
The other semi-final playoff, between Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna isn’t nearly as interesting to most fans in Spain. After Real Madrid or Barcelona progress to the final, the big mission will have been accomplished. Of course, winning any kind of silverware is always good, and Copa del Rey may be the third most important title for Barcelona and Real Madrid, but the big mission is the clash of giants. The next game tomorrow.
Barcelona v Real Madrid: Betting Preview
This is the kind of game that is worth watching and living with all data possible. Following the game on the TV is just a part of the process these days. With so many interesting Football API options, these days you can know every detail about the big games like El Clásico next Wednesday.
Not only the reality of following a live soccer game can be enhanced by statistics, you can also predict a lot of what will happen in the betting markets with prime data available.
Now let’s analyze the betting scenario.
El Clásico 1×2 Betting Odds
The odds for a victory of Barça are, on average, 2.28, while the odds for a victory of Real Madrid, are, on average, 2.9. The odds for a match draw are in the house of 3.15.
There seems to be a mistaken idea from the markets in my opinion. Barcelona is winning in the aggregate score. It’s like the game starts 1-0. Even if Barça is not the typical team that doesn’t defend a lot whenever they’re ahead in the score, El Clásico is probably an exception.
Of course, they’ve been having better luck in the last matches against Real Madrid, but both teams remain extremely strong.
Real Madrid, in the eyes of many, deserved to have better luck in the first leg of the Spanish Cup semis. I believe if the game ‘started 0-0’ in the aggregate score, perhaps odds like that could be justified.
But a 0-0 result is enough for Barça to reach the finals and beat the Madridistas in the aggregate score. So in my eyes, these odds should be closer to even.
Now the match draw odds are a little trickier because the draw is good enough for Barça. A typical levelled game will have draw odds around 3.33, but perhaps here the match draw odds aren’t overly high, although if you’re considering a bet on a levelled game, it’s probably safer to go for an over/under selection like under 2.5 @1.92
First Half 1X2 Odds of El Clásico: Worth a Bet?
Real Madrid can’t lose or see this game ending in a draw. They’ll likely attack more than usual. And even if they fail to hold the score they need until the end of the game, perhaps a 1×2 bet for the first half is in order. Real Madrid ‘2’, that is, 1×2 selection of the visitors to be winning as of HT has odds of 3.75 on average. It’s a risky bet, -0.5 equivalent in the Asian Handicap, but it could be interesting if you believe that Real Madrid is capable of pressuring and having the lead by the halftime break.
