The fifth El Clasico of the season will take place tonight at Camp Nou as FC Barcelona are ready to take on Real Madrid in the second leg of the Copa Del Rey semifinal. FC Barcelona won the first leg of the semifinal by a 1-0 margin at Santiago Bernabeu. So if they can avoid the defeat tonight, they will go to the final of Copa Del Rey. Moreover, FC Barcelona have been flying against the Los Blancos. They defeated Real Madrid in their last three consecutive El Clasicos.
Key Factors
Although FC Barcelona have been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, they are doing really great in La Liga and other domestic competitions. Barcelona are close to winning the league title as they are 12 points ahead of the second team, Real Madrid.
Anyway, Barca boss Xavi Hernandez has won four of his six official El Clasicos, while Carlo Ancelotti won only two games against Xavi.
However, Real Madrid’s main concern should be Barca’s defensive solidity. Barcelona have been one of the best defensive teams this season. They conceded only nine goals in 27 league games and three in their four games in Copa del Rey.
Team News
FC Barcelona will miss several key players due to injuries. Pedri, Ousmane Dembele, and Frenkie de Jong are unavailable due to the hamstring injury, while Andreas Christensen will miss the game due to a calf injury. However, Rafinha is back again from the suspension and will play tonight against Real Madrid.
As for Real Madrid, center-back Antonio Rudiger is in doubt as he suffered from knee discomfort. David Alaba will replace him if Rudiger misses the match. Ferland Mendy is still out of the squad due to an injury.
The Possible Lineup for Barcelona:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Alonso, Balde; Kessie, Busquets, Gavi; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Fati
The Possible Lineup for Real Madrid:
Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Nacho, Alaba; Kroos, Tchouameni, Modric; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
Prediction: Barcelona 1-0 Real Madrid
As the home team, Barcelona will get tremendous support from their fans. Moreover, they didn’t lost in any of their last three El Classicos. So, defeating Barcelona at their won home will be very difficult for the Los Blancos.
Betfair Odds:
Barcelona: 2.30
Draw: 3.40
Real Madrid: 2.90
