The last Clásico has a final as a prize
The 0-1 in the first leg places Barça with a slight advantage against the ‘remontador’ Real Madrid
BARCELONA, 4 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are fighting this Wednesday (9:00 p.m.) at the Spotify Camp Nou for the second ticket to the final of the Copa del Rey, with a 0-1 first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu that gives a certain advantage to a Barça that They do not trust some whites used to coming back from important qualifying rounds that they had downhill.
There won’t be another chance this season to relive a Clásico, but the fifth clash of the campaign between Barça and Real Madrid is special beyond being the last: the final of the Copa del Rey and, therefore, fighting for a title is at stake.
Xavi Hernández’s Barça has just won the last Clásico, the second round of LaLiga Santander at the Camp Nou (2-1). A duel that placed the Catalan team with a 12-point margin over their eternal rival and with practically half the championship in their pocket.
Previously, the ‘culers’ won the first leg of these semifinals (0-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu) and also won the Spanish Super Cup title (1-3) beating their eternal rival. Three consecutive victories for Barça, who are now looking for the fourth to go to that cup final with high spirits.
This situation leaves Real Madrid touched, wanting revenge and with the need to come back from 0-1 in the first leg. Undoubtedly, the ideal setting to look for a new white comeback. And, in addition, a panorama that puts Xavi on alert who continues to see Real Madrid as a favorite and who appeared, in the preview, with a certain fear of those comebacks.
Those of Carlo Ancelotti are, or seem to be, subscribers to those turns of the omelette. And, the closer to the ‘KO’ they seem to be, the whites tend to get their maximum effectiveness to come back. At Real Madrid there is a goal, and they took it upon themselves to remind their own and strangers alike with the 6-0 defeat of Real Valladolid on the last day of the league, with a hat-trick by Karim Benzema.
“You won’t have to go crazy to score a goal,” Ancelotti warned in the preview. The certain thing is that to the Real Madrid it is enough to him with mark to worry to the FC Barcelona. And on his last visit to the Blaugrana stadium he did it, with a legal goal and another annulled by VAR. It was in that Clásico where Barça almost sentenced LaLiga.
A 2-1 that would now come in handy. And it is a game, just like the 1-3 of the Super Cup, that Xavi wants to take as a reference for this Wednesday. They know that they start with that 0-1 advantage but at Barça they assure that they don’t even think about a draw; they want to dominate to try to win.
The blaugrana are the ‘Kings of Cups’, but they haven’t won the competition since 2021. So the blaugrana want to get closer to fighting again to expand their dominance in the cup list, and doing so against Real Madrid is a “double prize” . It would also be the fourth win in five Classics; It’s not a title, but it’s close.
To look for that pass to the final, Xavi Hernández does not recover any cash from among the injured: Pedri, Ousmane Dembélé, Frenkie De Jong and Andreas Christensen will continue to be low. But regarding the last match of LaLiga Santander against Elche CF, with a 0-4 victory at the Martínez Valero, the Brazilian winger Raphinha returns, who was suspended.
At Real Madrid, the German defender Antonio Rüdiger recovered in time from the knee injury that prevented him from playing at the weekend to be able to be in Barcelona, a duel in which Carlo Ancelotti will have the only absence of the Frenchman Ferland Mendy. Also returning is striker Mariano Díaz, who has overcome his muscular discomfort, and central defender Nacho Fernández, after serving a suspension in the League.
DATASHEET.
–POSSIBLE ALIGNMENTS.
FC BARCELONA: Ter Stegen; Kound, Araujo, Mark Alonso, Bucket; Busquets, Kessie, Sergi Roberto; Raphinha, Lewandowski and Gavi.
REAL MADRID: Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Nacho; Tchouameni, Modric, Kroos; Valverde, Benzema and Vinicius Jr.
–REFEREE: Martinez Munuera (C. Valenciano).
–STADIUM: Spotify Camp Nou.
–TIME: 9:00 p.m./La 1 and Movistar.