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Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: Who will win?

The most anticipated match of the European club season will kick off later today when FC Barcelona takes on arch-rival Real Madrid at the Camp Nou.

While millions of fans around the world watch, the easy question to ask right now is this. Who do you think will win? Will it be Lionel Messi and the reigning Spanish champions, or will Jose Mourinho's revamped Real Madrid side prove that its ready to take control of La Liga?

Cast your vote (and find out my vote) after the jump):

Who do I see winning? As much as I enjoy watching Barcelona play, and as unstoppable as Lionel Messi looks these days, I'm giving the edge to Real Madrid. Look for Jose Mourinho to once again formulate a strategy to neutralize the Barcelona attack, only with a dangerous Real Madrid attack to go with a stingy defense. Lionel Messi is in top form, but right now Real Madrid is playing its best soccer in years and will come away with a 1-0 victory in Barcelona.

Whether you will be watching on TV, the internet, or following along from work, you are welcome to follow the match with SBI's Match Commentary this afternoon (3pm, GolTV).

How did you vote? Think Barcelona holds serve at home? See a high-scoring tie? Where will you be watching the match?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. “(SBI-Hey, I wanted Barcelona to win, so I picked Real Madrid. I confess.)”

    LOL!! Nice one. Humble + team / wizardry > Bullish + Fouling / Me me me (- Ozil & Casillas). Visca Barca!

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  2. Ives, your the best journalist in the United States! But you suck at predictions! VISCA BARCA!

    (SBI-Hey, I wanted Barcelona to win, so I picked Real Madrid. I confess.)

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  3. LOL! LOL! LOL! Ozil disappeared today. Was he even on the field? It no world will the RM midfield EVER be better than the Barca midfield. Try to be serious.

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  4. Thanks Mhat, I should have clarified it.
    This RM team is much more balanced and will provide Barcelona–in their eyes–a real test. I don’t believe that the RM of the last few years troubled Barca that much behind closed doors. Plus, this year there’s a point separating them…a draw is useful for both at this stage (but Barca will obviously be a little more pressed for 3 points at home)

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  5. I hope Madrid wins, but with Messi you just never know.

    His late goal against Brazil after Brazil started putting the pressure on and looking like they were going to get one of their own. Just clutch.

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  6. Real Madrid will win both clasicos this year. They are much better defensively and should be able to dictate the action in the midfield.

    If Ozil has a big game, it could be 3-0 Madrid. Otherwise, the score will be tighter.

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  7. Is the game going to be played in any of these channels, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN Deportes?

    (SBI-ESPN3.com and ESPN Deportes. Not on ESPN or ESPN2. GolTV has the English-language rights in the USA.)

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  8. because online rights are different than tv rights…espn3 will usually have english commentary for la liga games, even if they are only on espn deportes.

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  9. something in my gut will not allow me to get excited when 2 mega teams clash.. however if i had to pick i’d pick real madrid. ronaldo won’t score either.

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  10. Ah, I see. ESPN only has the rights that GolTV gives them, which is why they aren’t letting ESPN show the match on cable in English. Makes more sense now, although for El Clasico I wonder if it still wouldn’t have made economic sense for GolTV to allow ESPN to show this one also on ESPN or ESPN2 for a slice of the action. I assume the bean counters worked through those scenarios. Thanks.

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  11. 0-0 tie. Madrid will sit back and absorb the 1,988,987 passes Barcelona will string together. There will be a few good chances for both sides. But neither team wants to lose this game, so it will end in an exciting, yet anti-climatic 0-0 draw.

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  12. Last year Barcelona won 2-0 and 1-0 in games that weren’t even close to being played in a defensive shell. Nor was the May 2009 6-2 Barcelona win.

    Real Madrid’s four-match La Liga losing streak to Barcelona won’t end today. Barcelona, 3-1.

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  13. Real Madrid are the for sure winners.

    Mourinho knows how to beat Barcelona and will do it today.

    It will be the begining of the end for Barca and Villarreal will end up finishing 2nd.

    Messi will be confused and leave Barca to join Manchester United where he will turn out to be a bust and become the next Robinho.

    Maradona will then show Messi the way by buying a kilo of Coke.

    Messi marries boy toy Maradona and they will live happy ever after.

    The End.

    Vamos Blancos!

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  14. These games tend to be a bit anti-climatic. The pressure hits the players and teams tend to play a defensive shell and hope for a chance on the counter attack. Prediction? A draw: 1-1.

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  15. ESPN has the rights, but why are they showing it on Deportes and online? I can’t imagine they’ll get a better audience with Outside the Lines on ESPN2, for example.

    (SBI-ESPN has the rights? I’m pretty sure GolTV has the English-language rights to La Liga’s top matches and sublets some matches to ESPN.)

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