The latest incarnation of ‘El Clasico’, the famous rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona, takes centre stage in Round 26 of the 2018/19 La Liga season as the Spanish top flight will air live on DStv, Gotv this weekend.The 240th competitive match between Real and Barca is set to be a key factor in the La Liga title race this season: a win for Los Blancos will bring them back into the battle for Spain’s top honour, while the Blaugrana will feel that a victory at the Santiago Bernabeu will remove one of their last major hurdles on the path to glory.
Both teams enjoyed victories in the previous round of La Liga: Real claimed a controversial 2-1 away win away to Leganes (thanks to two penalties), while Lionel Messi was in ominous form for Barca as they won 4-2 away to Sevilla. The Argentine master netted a hat-trick at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan to move further clear at the top of the Spanish top-flight scoring charts.
Second-placed Atletico Madrid will be hoping their derby rivals can beat Barca at home on Saturday night, which would then give them the chance to close the gap at the top to just four points with a win away to Real Sociedad at Estadio Municipal de Anoeta on Sunday.
Atletico continued their good form with a 2-0 home win over Villarreal this past weekend (featuring goals from Alvaro Morata, his first since joining on loan from Chelsea, and Saul) and Diego Simeone will be highly motivated should the chance to put pressure on leaders Barcelona arise.
Elsewhere in Spain, DStv and GOtv viewers can also look forward to Valencia hosting Athletic Bilbao at Estadio Mestalla on Sunday night. Both teams are in good form (Los Che are unbeaten in nine matches across all competitions ahead of a Copa del Rey match on Thursday, while Bilbao racked up a second successive win when they beat Eibar 1-0 this past weekend) and chasing a place in next season’s UEFA Europa League.
Other games for DStv and GOtv viewers to watch out for include the round’s opening game on Friday night, which is a relegation six points between Rayo Vallecano and Girona at the Estadio de Vallecas; Villarreal will be desperate for a victory when they host high-flying Deportivo Alaves; and Real Betis could bring themselves into Champions League contention with a win at home to fourth-placed Getafe on Sunday.
Key match stats
Real Madrid v Barcelona – Head-to-head, all competitions
Matches played 239
Madrid wins 95
Barcelona wins 93
Draws 51
Real Sociedad v Atletico Madrid – Head-to-head, all competitions
Matches played 42
Sociedad wins 16
Atletico wins 19
Draws 7
Valencia v Athletic Bilbao – Head-to-head, all competitions
Matches played 53
Valencia wins 23
Bilbao wins 15
Draws 15
La Liga fixtures, 1-4 March
Friday 1 March
9:00pm: Rayo Vallecano v Girona – LIVE on SS7 & SelGo4
Saturday 2 March
1:00pm: Espanyol v Real Valladolid – LIVE on SS7/SS10 & SelGo2/SelGo4
4:15pm: Villarreal v Deportivo Alaves – LIVE on SS7 & SelGo4
6:30pm: Huesca v Sevilla – LIVE on SS7 & SelGo4
8:45pm: Real Madrid v Barcelona – LIVE on SS7 & SelGo4
Sunday 3 March
12:00pm: Eibar v Celta de Vigo – LIVE on SS7/SS10 & SelGo2/SelGo4
4:15pm: Real Betis v Getafe – LIVE on SS7, Max2 & SelGo4
6:30pm: Real Sociedad v Atletico Madrid – LIVE on SS7 & SelGo4
8:45pm: Valencia v Athletic Bilbao – LIVE on SS7 & SelGo4
Monday 4 March
9:00pm: Leganes v Levante – LIVE on SS7 & SelGo4
