Barcelona forward Lionel Messi. (Photo : Getty Images)
A high-profile 2016-2017 La Liga season match is scheduled on Dec. 3, Saturday as the Spanish top flight's top two teams, FC Barcelona (8-2-3, 27 points) and Real Madrid (10-0-3, 33 points) face each other at the Camp Nou in another El Clásico derby.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 10:15 a.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru FuboTV.
Barcelona has been in a rut lately with two consecutive drawn matches in their last two outings to place second to Real Madrid in the overall standings.
Barça settled to a goalless draw with middling squad Malaga on Nov. 19 before they were again held to a 1-1 tie by Real Sociedad on Sunday on the road at the Anoeta Stadium, as per SkySports.
It was a close fight from the kickoff as Sociedad's stingy defense held the star-studded Barcelona XI goalless in the first 45 minutes of action.
La Real managed to break the deadlock in the 53rd minute with a header by Brazilian forward Willian Jose, who squeaked the shot past Spanish defender Gerard Pique.
None other than Lionel Messi once again helped the Catalonia giants avoid a loss as he equalized the match just six minutes later as he directed Neymar's assist past three defenders and the outstretched arms of Sociedad keeper Geronimo Rulli.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid outpointed bottom three team Sporting Gijon, 2-1, in their own round 13 match at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium last Saturday, BBC Sport reported.
Cristiano Ronaldo was once again the man of the match for head coach Zinedine Zidane as the Portugal team captain scored a brace in the fifth and 18th minutes to give the hosts a quick 2-0 lead.
Sporting Gijon midfielder Carlos Carmona was able to trim the gap to only a point with a goal in the 35th, but both sides went scoreless after that as Los Blancos were able to escape with the one-goal victory.
Real remained as the only undefeated team in La Liga after 13 rounds. However, they face a major test against fierce rivals Barcelona with key men Gareth Bale and Alvaro Morata sidelined by separate injuries.
Prediction and Predicted Lineup
The predicted result is a close 2-1 victory for Barcelona.
Barcelona starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): ter Stegen; Roberto, Pique, Mascherano, Alba; Rakitic, Busquets, Gomes; Messi, Suárez, Neymar
Real Madrid starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Navas; Danilo, Pepe, Ramos, Nacho; Modric, Kovacic; Lucas, Rodriguez, Ronaldo; Benzema
