Preview
This week’s Copa del Rey includes one of Spanish football’s biggest matches as Real Madrid square off against Xavi’s Barcelona team in another El Clasico at Camp Nou on Wednesday.
Eder Militao’s own goal in the first leg at the beginning of March gave the Catalans a slim 1-0 aggregate lead going into the match.
Since then, the two Spanish superpowers have faced again, with Barça winning a thrilling 2-1 home victory to all but finish the La Liga title battle due to a late winner from Franck Kessie.
Xavi’s team presently leads the league by 12 points, and both teams enter the second leg on Wednesday after crushing league victory. In January, Barça also prevailed in the Supercopa de Espana final.
The Catalan team, which has triumphed in five of the last eight iterations of the competition, prepared for this match by defeating Elche 4-0 on Saturday, marking their second straight victory with at least three goals.
After defeating Barcelona in the 2014 Copa del Rey final, Carlo Ancelotti’s team has won just one Copa del Rey, and seven of their previous twelve meetings have featured more than two goals.
Form Guide: Barcelona
Barcelona, which now sits atop the league standings, has been impressive at home under Xavi. The Catalan team will be confident going into this match after easily defeating Elche by a score of 4-0 over the weekend.
Barcelona wants to maintain their narrow advantage in front of their home crowd, but “El Clasico” won’t be an easy game for Xavi’s team. All of Christensen, Dembele, Pedri, and de Jong are out with injuries, but veteran midfielder Sergio Busquets, who was rested in a 4-0 victory against Elche, should be added to the starting lineup. Raphinha, a winger for Brazil, has served his punishment.
Even if they don’t have to win, Barcelona can make it three victories in a row over their rivals. They have recently displayed a bit of an Indian Sign, and even a brilliant coach like Carlo Ancelotti would find it difficult to stop them.
Form Guide: Real Madrid
Contrarily, Los Blancos hopes to build on a sensational 6-0 victory over Real Valladolid. Carlo Ancelotti’s men are forced to attack Barca with all available fire, so they do so.
In order to advance to crucial Copa del Rey semifinal matches against bitter rivals and the Champions League quarterfinal matchup against Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti’s team sorely needed this performance.
Real Madrid hasn’t participated in a cup final since the 2013–14 season, while Barcelona has advanced to the championship match eight of the past 10 times.
Contrarily, Los Blancos hopes to build on a sensational 6-0 victory over Real Valladolid. Carlo Ancelotti’s men are forced to attack Barca with all available fire, so they do so.
In order to advance to crucial Copa del Rey semifinal matches against bitter rivals and the Champions League quarterfinal matchup against Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti’s team sorely needed this performance.
Real Madrid hasn’t participated in a cup final since the 2013–14 season, while Barcelona has advanced to the championship match eight of the past 10 times.
How the game could go
With 11 games remaining, Barca should have little trouble winning the championship after maintaining their 12-point lead at the top of La Liga.
The trophy-hungry Blaugranas, on the other hand, will be eager to advance to the Spanish Cup final for the eighth time in ten seasons. They positioned themselves well, having won the first leg of every semi-final match since the 2006–07 season to advance.
Barca’s flawless defensive record has been a defining characteristic of their campaign, and the fact that they have won five straight games while giving up only once during that span augurs well for their chances going into Wednesday’s match.
Madrid’s poor form against their rivals extended into the league, but Los Blancos responded with aplomb, smashing six past Real Valladolid in a confidence-boosting triumph at the weekend.
Rodrygo, Marco Asensio, and Lucas Vasquez all registered, but Karim Benzema stole the spotlight with an astonishing seven-minute hattrick to seal the game before the half-time interval.
Betting Predictions
BTTS (YES)
Both teams will enter the tie on a high following a convincing league win. Bragging rights and a place in the cup final will be at stake on Wednesday, meaning we have all ingredients for a spectacular evening of football at Spotify Camp Nou. Knowing how impressive both Lewandowski and Benzema were at the weekend, we fancy Both Teams to score pick. The primary factors will be Madrid’s offensive difficulties and inconsistent defense. Bet9ja have 1.67 1xbet have 1.72 and Paripesa have 1.72 odds.
Home to win Corner
Both of the most recent matches were remarkably consistent, with seven and six bookings respectively, and both witnessed significant advantages for home corners. Barca won 8-1 at the Nou Camp but Real won the corner count 11-2 at the Bernabeu. Even though Real must prevail, it’s difficult to imagine Barcelona playing in any manner other than an offensive one. We have Barcelona as the favorite, and they will undoubtedly win this corner. Bet9ja have 1.62 odds, Paripesa have 1.72, and 1xbet have 1.72 odds.
Anytime Goalscorer (Barcelona)
Lewandowski
Robert Lewandowski has received a fair chunk of criticism this season despite his weekend double taking his tally to 30 in 45 for club and country. We all know how good the striker can be on his day and he is yet to register a solid appearance in the El Classico. In front of the home fans, we can see him impressing and eventually scoring a goal or two. Bet9ja have 1.68 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.00.
Anytime Goalscorer (Real Madrid)
Benzema
It’s in these sorts of games where Real Madrid comes alive. They were in a rampant mood at the weekend, as were their upcoming opponents, with Karim Benzema bagging a first-half hat trick. He has been his side’s star performer all season and could be instrumental in his side’s win here. Bet9ja have 3.40 odds for him to score while Paripesa have 2.30 odds.
Football Lover. All-round junkie of the beautiful game. Could be found watching football most of the time. If not he’s writing about them or making some punditry you don’t agree with. A certain bias for Arsenal and Santos FC.
