Football fans are in for a treat this week with two El Clasicos in the space of three days. The first of those two will be the second leg of the Copa Del Rey semi-final with the tie hanging in balance at 1-1.
After a hard fought 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou in the first leg of the Cup semi-final, both the Spanish giants will now fight for the place in the Cup final at the Santiago Bernabeu. Here is everything you need to know before the big game:
When and where to watch the game:
Real Madrid will welcome Barcelona at the famous Santiago Bernabeu on 28th February at 1:30 AM IST. Unfortunately there are no official broadcasters for the game in India but the fans can follow the game on various football websites.
Preview:
Los Blancos were impressive in the first leg of the semi-final and the Madrid Derby after that, but their performances have gone down since. The European Champions had to fight hard for a 2-1 victory against Ajax in the Round of 16 of UCL. They lost 1-2 to Girona in La Liga after that, with Sergio Ramos receiving yet another red card. In their league game on Sunday, Madrid were lucky to get away with a 2-1 victory against Levante, thanks to a spectacular VAR mistake and even more spectacular dive by Casemiro in the penalty box.
Barcelona have also looked tired in February, with the long season starting to take a toll on them. The Catalans have drawn 4 games this month and have won just two, a 1-0 victory against 16th placed Real Valladolid and a 4-2 comeback victory against Sevilla on Saturday. Barca’s defence looked very shaky against the club from Seville before Messi’s hat-trick saved the day.
Team News:
Sergio Ramos will be back after being suspended for a league game on Sunday. Vinicius Jr. is also expected to start once again with Santiago Solari trusting the 18-year old more than Gareth Bale. Isco is struggling with a back injury while Marcos Llorente is also expected to be unavailable for the game. There will be yet another battle for the place on the team-sheet between Keylor Navas and Courtois after the Costa Rican’s exceptional display in the first leg. The three-time Champions League winner is expected to get a nod once again.
Barcelona will be without long-term absentee Rafinha, whose season is more or less over. Thomas Vermaelen will also be unavailable with an injury. The good news for the Catalans is a medical green light for
Jasper Cillessen and Arthur. There will be a battle between Umtiti and Lenglet in the heart of the defence, but the younger Frenchman is likely to get nod with Umtiti coming back from a long injury just a few days ago.
Expected Line-Ups and Formation:
Real Madrid:
Ramos and Varane will be in the heart of the defence with Carvajal and Reguilon on the flanks. It is highly unlikely that Marcelo will get a place in the team-sheet for big games after Reguilon’s recent performances, but most importantly the Brazilian has himself to blame for this situation.
The midfield trio will be unchanged with Kroos and Modric in-charge of creativity and Casemiro at his usual dirty job ahead of the defence. Karim Benzema will lead the attack with Vinicius and Lucas Vazques on the wings.
(4-3-3) Navas (GK); Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Reguilon; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric; Vinicius, Benzema, Lucas
Barcelona:
In-from Pique will be in the central defence with Clement Lenglet. While Jordi Alba’s place for LB is quite concrete, there will be a fight between Sergi Roberto and Nelson Semedo at RB. But the Portuguese is likely to start, thanks to his performance in the first leg where he was able to keep up with Vinicius’s pace.
Sergio Busquets will definitely be in the midfield with Ivan Rakitic. But their third partner is still a place to grab. Arthur is the first choice, but the Brazilian has only been cleared on Tuesday and might only play for about last 30 minutes. The Chilean midfielder, Arthuro Vidal is likely to start the game. The front three will be unchanged as Messi, Suarez, and Dembele will try to take the pressure off the team of scoring an away goal.
(4-3-3) Ter Stegen (GK); Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Rakitic, Vidal/Arthur, Busquets; Dembele, Suarez, Messi
Prediction:
You can NEVER predict the El Clasico. But I’m going to take a shot at it and back for Barcelona to make it to the final of the Cup.
