El Clasico is back as Barcelona prepare to face Real Madrid for the fifth and final time this season. The two Spanish giants lock horns on Wednesday in the 2nd leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal clash, with the Camp Nou being the venue and a final against Osasuna being up for grabs.
While the Blaugrana are in mess off the pitch thanks to Gavi's contractual situation and the club's ongoing Negreira case and war with La Liga president Javier Tebas, on the pitch, Xavi's men have been nothing but relentless.
The Catalan giants are on a five-game winning streak across all competitions and have won all but two of their last 18 league outings. As a result, with only 11 games to go, Barcelona find themselves sitting 12 points ahead at the top of La Liga, with Real Madrid struggling to match their form.
However, this isn't a league match. This is a knockout cup competition and just as Osasuna showed on Tuesday against Athletic Club in the other semifinal tie, anything can happen.
Fortunately for the home side, they boast a 1-0 advantage. An Eder Militao own goal in the first leg means Barcelona have a lead to defend in the reverse tie.
Additionally, Xavi's men have gotten the better of their bitter rivals in El Clasico recently. The Catalan giants lost the first encounter of the season 3-1 at Santiago Bernabeu but have won the last three since, including a 3-1 victory in the Spanish Super Cup final and the recent 2-1 last-gasp triumph in the league just before the international break.
Unlike Los Blancos, Lewandowski and Co. aren't competing in Europe. The Spanish giants crashed out of the UEFA Champions League and later on the UEFA Europa League. However, with Barcelona cruising to the league title, a win on Thursday would bolster their odds of securing the double.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, trail Barcelona by 12 points in La Liga and are thus out of that title race. However, the defending champions are through to the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals and should fancy their odds of overturning the 1-0 deficit in this Copa del Rey battle.
Ancelotti's men will be out for revenge after losing the first leg and suffering a defeat at Camp Nou just before the international break. In that league showdown, the Merengues threw away an early 1-0 lead to lose 2-1, with Courtois conceding the decisive goal in stoppage time.
Additionally, following the first-leg defeat at the Bernabeu, a number of Real Madrid figures publicly stated that Barcelona did not deserve their victory. Wednesday will give the visitors the opportunity of setting that right.
Los Blancos' last win at Camp Nou was in October 2021. Fortunately, Benzema and Co. enter this clash on the back of a confidence-boosting result, with the Spanish giants thrashing Real Valladolid over the weekend.
Benzema scored a hat-trick in just over 30 minutes while Rodrygo, Marco Asensio, and Lucas Vasquez also got on the scoresheet en route to a 6-0 triumph. Vinicius Junior, a player who has encountered tough battles with Ronald Araujo in recent Clasicos, also played his part while Eden Hazard got a rare assist.
This game kicks off a tricky week for the champions of Europe as they will face Villarreal in La Liga and Chelsea in the Champions League quarterfinals in the next two games after this Clasico. A slip-up against Barcelona would be the worst possible way to head into those upcoming fixtures.
Team news
Barcelona: While the Blaugrana did not suffer any new injuries in the recent victory over Elche, Xavi is without several key players, as Pedri, Ousmane Dembele, Andreas Christensen, and Frenkie de Jong will all miss this tie. Raphinha is back from suspension while Ansu Fati will be hoping for a start after his brilliant goal against Elche.
Real Madrid: Antonio Rudiger is suffering from a knee issue and might miss this tie. Mariano Diaz is also a doubt while Ferland Mendy has been ruled out of this tie. Vinicius Jr. and Karim Benzema will lead the line while Rodrygo should start alongside the pair in attack given that they are chasing the game.
Key stats
-
Barcelona are a win away from equaling the overall number of victories in El Clasico history (101 for Real Madrid, 100 for the Blaugrana).
-
These two Spanish giants have faced off three times in 2023 and Los Blancos have lost on all three occasions.
-
The Catalan giants are on a five-game winning streak.
-
Ancelotti's men, on the other hand, have won only six of their last 10 matches.
Broadcast listings
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
