Real Madrid vs Barcelona
Spanish Copa del Rey
Date: 2 March 2023, Thursday
Kick-off at 20:00 UK / 21:00 CET
Venue: Estadio Santiago Bernabeu (Madrid).
The rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona will once again be added to when they face off in the Copa del Rey. Although our picks think that the former will win, we believe that Los Blancos will take the match.
Both Barcelona and Real Madrid are focused on the Copa del Rey. They are scrapping the La Liga title race and shifting their attention to the competition’s first leg.
After overcoming a two-goal deficit to defeat Liverpool in the Champions League, Los Blancos were left disappointed with a disappointing draw against cross-town rivals Atleti Madrid.
Despite maintaining a seven-point lead over Real Madrid at the top of the table, Barcelona’s form has started to take a hit in recent weeks. Their loss to Almeria was the result of their Europa League exit, and Robert Lewandowski’s hamstring injury could cause more problems for them.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Head-to-head
This season, these two teams faced off against each other twice. Real Madrid came out on top in the league with a score of 3-1, while Barcelona won the Super Cup with a similar margin.
Over the years, Real Madrid has only managed to win 14 of 41 meetings against Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Over the last five El Clasicos, there have been at least four goals scored.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Prediction
Due to the nature of the match, it could get very cagey. However, the hosts will have a huge advantage due to the personnel situation. While Barcelona will be without several key players, Real Madrid will be able to benefit from the return of Aurelian Tchouameni.
Real Madrid will need to find a way past the Barcelona backline to take a lead in the first leg. However, it’s not likely to be a blowout, and it could still leave things open for the return match at Camp Nou.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Real Madrid possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Carvajal, Militao, Rudiger, Nacho; Kroos, Tchouameni, Modric; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Jr
Barcelona possible starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Christensen, Balde; De Jong, Busquets, Roberto; Raphinha, Torres, Gavi