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It's El Clasico time as Real Madrid welcome Barcelona to the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday night for the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie.
It just doesn't get any bigger than this in Spanish football. El Clasicos have rarely been anything short of a spectacle, and with a place in the final of the Copa del Rey at stake on Thursday, sparks will fly.
Real Madrid progressed to the semis after beating Atletico Madrid 3-1 in the quarter-finals in late January. Alvaro Morata had initially taken the lead for Atletico before Rodrygo restored parity in the 79th minute.
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The game then went to extra-time and goals from Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior helped Carlo Ancelotti's men seal the tie in their favor. Incidentally, Los Blancos head into Thursday's encounter on the back of a 1-1 draw with the Rojiblancos in La Liga.
Real Madrid currently trail league leaders Barcelona by seven points after the Catalans fell to a 1-0 loss to Almeria on Sunday. It was their first loss in La Liga this calendar year.
Xavi Hernandez's men have now conceded back-to-back losses as they also fell 2-1 (4-3 on aggregate) to Manchester United in the Europa League on Thursday and crashed out of the competition.
Confidence could be on the lower side in the Barca camp right now but form usually goes out the window when you're squaring off against your rivals. However, Robert Lewandowski's absence due to a hamstring injury is a massive blow for the Catalans.
Pedri and Ousmane Dembele are two other notable absentees. Suffice it to say, Xavi has quite a few key decisions to make ahead of the El Clasico. But Barcelona will be desperate to produce a response to successive losses and are expected to come out swinging at the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
- Real Madrid haven't lost a single game at the Santiago Bernabeu since April 2022, when they fell to Chelsea in the Champions League.
- Barcelona were on an 18-game undefeated streak until they lost consecutive matches to Manchester United and Almeria in their last two outings.
- Real Madrid and Barcelona have met two times this season. Real Madrid beat Barca at the Santiago Bernabeu in October. The Catalans avenged that loss in the Spanish Super Cup final in January.
- Barcelona have managed to keep clean sheets in their last two Copa del Rey matches.
- Real Madrid have scored six goals in their last two Copa del Rey outings but have also chipped in three goals.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Prediction
Real Madrid couldn't have chosen a better time to play their arch rivals. The Blaugrana have suffered successive losses in their last two games and look vulnerable for once. Ancelotti's side has the home advantage as well and Barca will do well to hang in the tie after Thursday's game.
Prediction: Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona
Real Madrid vs Barcelona Betting Tips
Tip 1: Result - Real Madrid
Tip 2: Game to have over 2.5 goals - Yes
Tip 3: Both teams to score - Yes
