Barcelona vs Real Madrid
Allegiant Stadium is the venue as Barcelona and Real Madrid go head-to-head in a rare off-season El Clasico.
, Barcelona’s rampant attacking put six unanswered goals past David Beckham’s Inter Miami over midweek, making it two wins from three pre-season friendlies (D1). Xavi Hernandez’s men have netted 3+ goals in two of their three exhibition fixtures this summer, with standout forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finding the net in the last two. The Gabonese superstar is about to reunite with his former Borussia Dortmund teammate Robert Lewandowski, who left Bayern Munich to link up with the ‘Blaugrana’ this summer. Defending coudl be a bit problematic, though, with the Camp Nou side failing to keep a clean sheet in three of their last four outings.
Meanwhile, lagging behind their arch-rivals in terms of match fitness, Carlo Ancelotti’s men prepare to take the field for the first time since ousting Liverpool 1-0 in last season’s Champions League final. Real Madrid can at least draw confidence from heading into proceedings off the back of a four-match unbeaten streak (W2, D2) and another La Liga title. Yet, an embarrassing 4-0 home defeat to Barcelona in the second half of last season left a bitter taste in ‘Los Merengues’ mouths, sorrowing their record-extending 35th domestic triumph. Despite losing in their most recent clash agaisnt Barca, ‘Los Blancos’ have the recent H2H record firmly on their side, having won five consecutive match-ups before collapsing at Santiago Bernabeu last time out.