Barcelona had a difficult time last Thursday at home against Panathinaikos. They might win in the end 97-89, but they needed the overtime. And Cory Higgins to score  24 points, take 7 rebounds, and dish 5 assists, and also Brandon Davies to score  20 points and take 5 rebounds to beat the Greens. The Catalans did have an excuse though. Nikola Mirotic and Victor Claver didn't play in this game and they lost Alex Abrines during the game.  

Nicola Mirotic is expected to play in tonights"Clasico" and give their teammates the needed boost to beat "Los Blancos".  Another key factor for the home team will be their defense. Since Sarunas Jasikevicius came to Barcelona, the team is more defense-oriented than ever. And if they manage to stop the visitor's center Walter Tavares they will make a huge step to win this clash. 

Real Madrid didn't make it in Milan last week. Even though they had control of the game for almost three quarters, in the final period of the match they seemed that they couldn't just score.  And so Olympia Milano took a well-deserved win 78-70. Trey Thompkins tried his best with 15 points but it wasn't enough to get an away win. And when Sergio Llull and Facundo Campazzo got some triples it was already too late.  

Clearly underachieving so far in this season, Real Madrid needs a big win to boost their morale. Teams record 1-3 is by far the worst they had in the past years and furthermore, the team seems not to be able to score as we used them to. But clashes like this one is a whole different story. And even though they travel to Barcelona as the ultimate underdog, it won't be easy for the Catalans to beat them. 

The overall record in Euroleague since 2000, is Barcelona v Real Madrid 12-14.

Let's take a look at main and special odds markets offered at bet365 website :

• FullTime Result : 1.57 (Barcelona) - 2.55 (Real Madrid)
• Over/Under 155.5 points : 1.90 (Over) - 1.90 (Under)
• Race to 20 points: 1.66 (Barcelona) - 2.10 (Real Madrid)

*bet365 odds as offered at  23/10, 15:00CET (subject to change without prior notice) | 18+, T&Cs Apply, BeGambleAware.org

Every big battle has its own leading stars. And in one of Europe's most popular clashes, the centers are expected to have the key role. For Barcelona Brandon Davies is having a great season so far. Averaging 14.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and a 14.8 PIR he is the man in Barca's front line. He will be tested tonight against one of the Euroleague's best centers. If not the best. Walter Tavares is posting 10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks for a PIR of 15.8 and he will be a constant threat in the paint. Will Davies stop him? If he does, then Barca will truly be the favorite team in this game.