Match Preview :

Match of the week no doubt as Real Madrid welcomes Barcelona to the Bernabeu Stadium which is also the first Clasico of the season.

Real Madrid have won their last 10 La Liga games, 15 in all competitions, and go into the fixture top of the table three points ahead of Barcelona and with a game in hand. But when they go head to head it is invariably Barcelona that comes out on top.

For the record, Barca have lost only one of their 11 meetings since Pep Guardiola took charge in 2008 and have never lost under his stewardship at the Bernabeu.

That makes it an all interesting clash although assistant coach Karanka, standing in for Jose Mourinho, claimed it will be just another game. The one-time Spain defender told reporters at a press conference that they are in the best of shape and will not change their game ahead of this match.

A draw in this match would still keep Real Madrid ahead of their rivals, while a win would put them in a very strong position even at this early stage while a defeat would see Barca regain a foothold in the title race before they head off to the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

Karanka, however, is clear how Madrid will approach a game which will be seen all over the world. Karanka stated that they did not go for the draw against Ajax in midweek even though they had already qualified. He stated that if they win their position will be very good but it will not change the way they approach the game as they always have.

Karanka said Madrid would adopt an attacking formation - confirming the belief that the best way to beat Barca is by attacking them and exposing their defence.

Karanka is set to go with a 4-3-3 formation with Cristiano (Ronaldo) and (Angel) Di Maria in support of (Karim) Benzema or (Gonzalo) Higuain. They have several options in the middle and it is vital they picked the right players.

Madrid's only absentee is the injured Ricardo Carvalho while Mourinho's main selection dilemma concerns whether to go for Benzema or Higuain in attack.

Meanwhile, Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta talked about his team and said his Barca side are the best team he has played in. As for their formation, Guardiola has varied between 4-3-3 and 3-4-3 this season, but no matter which formation Guardiola adopts, Iniesta is comfortable with it and puts that down to the schooling he received at the club's famed La Masia academy.

Guardiola could adopt a safe approach and revert to four at the back, although one of the centre-halves could be Javier Mascherano, who is more familiar in the midfield role.

Predictions :

Take Barcelona to win and accept the 1/4 ball here.

The Statistics :

The Pick :

Real Madrid 1-2 Barcelona

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

Take Barcelona to win this match.

HANDICAP BETTING :

A bet on Barcelona to win should be good with the +1/4 ball handicap.