Barcelona boss Xavi's plan to knock Real Madrid out of the Copa del Rey revealed: Reports

Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez has reportedly decided on the backline he will field to knock Real Madrid out of the Copa del Rey semifinals on April 5.

The Catalan giants face Los Blancos in the return leg of the domestic cup competition after winning the first leg 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on March 2. Centre-back Ronald Araujo has started as a right-back in all of the last three El Clasicos across competitions.

According to El Nacional, Xavi Hernandez has deployed the Uruguayan down the right flank to stop Vinicius Junior. The Brazilian winger's pace and trickery make him a handful for some of the world's defenders, but Araujo has done exceedingly well to stop him.

The Catalan giants have won all three games against Real Madrid so far in 2023. This included a 3-1 Supercopa de Espana final win in January and a 2-1 La Liga win on March 20, where Araujo scored an own goal resulting from Vinicius' cross.

Despite Araujo's error, Xavi has apparently been pleased with how the centre-back has fared down the right flank against Vinicius. He is reportedly planning to repeat the trick in the return leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal.

Jules Kounde will supposedly start as the right-sided centre-back, while Marcos Alonso is expected to partner him in defense. The Spaniard isn't as neat on the ball as Eric Garcia, but Xavi would prefer the aerial prowess and defensive acumen he brings to the table.

A clean sheet will be enough to send Barcelona to their 11th Copa del Rey final since the start of the 2008-09 season.

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Xavi praised Barcelona's defense after first-leg win vs Real Madrid

Barca manager Xavi Hernandez.

Xavi Hernandez was impressed with how Barcelona defended off the ball against Real Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal last month.

Speaking after the game, the Spanish manager said (h/t AS USA):

"We were extraordinary defending without the ball,” said Xavi. “Defending is part of the game, that’s why the win is very important. It was a tremendous victory. Today we minimized Madrid. They only had one chance through Rodrygo. We weren’t neat on the ball, we also lacked pace. Today we can’t boast about how.”

Contrary to Barca's possession-based style of play, Xavi's team managed to keep just 35% of the ball in Madrid. The hosts did manage 13 shots, but none of them were on target, as compared to the visitors' two.

Barcelona also managed to complete a lowly 307 passes with an 81% accuracy as opposed to Real Madrid's 596 with a completion rate of 88%.