Copa del Rey: Barcelona vs Real Madrid- Preview and prediction
What's the story
The historic rivalry of Real Madrid and Barcelona, to the love of football fans, will see two more fixtures played out this term in the form of Copa del Rey semi-finals. The first leg of the match will be played tomorrow at Nou Camp, while the next leg will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu on February 28. Here is our detailed match preview.
Barcelona
How are hosts Barcelona looking?
Barcelona have been Copa del Rey winners in the last four seasons, and last year was the 30th time they were crowned champions. Barcelona will mainly be concerned about the fitness of Lionel Messi and Ousmane Dembele, with Dembele unlikely to feature due to tonsillitis. However, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, and Arthur will return to the side. Clement Lenglet can feature in central defense.
Real Madrid
Are Real Madrid ready for the battle?
Real Madrid have hopefully recovered from their slump, as they have now won their last five matches. After Barcelona, Los Blancos will face Atletico Madrid on February 9, and will next go up against Ajax in the Champions League. Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, and Toni Kroos will return to the squad, and Lucas Vasquez might also be in the starting line-up for the match.
Key players
Who will be the key players in the fixture?
For Barcelona, Messi's form will be vital in such a high-profile match, as will be Luis Suarez and Coutinho. Busquets will be their vital peg in the mid-field, and Jordi Alba's connect with Messi might lay an important part in the fixture as well. Benzema has been in fine form, and he will be the one Real will look towards for the goals.
Predicted line-up
Predicted line-up and TV listing
Barcelona: Marc-André ter Stegen, Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba, Arthur, Rakitic, Busquets, Coutinho, Suarez, Messi. Real Madrid: Navas, Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo, Casemiro, Kroos, Modric, Lucas, Benzema, Vinicius. The match starts at 1:30 AM on February 7, and will be broadcast on the Sony Six channel. It can also be live-streamed on the Sony Liv website and mobile application.
Match prediction
How can the match turn out to be tomorrow?
It is very difficult to predict the result of this match, as both Barcelona and Real Madrid have been in fine form lately. However, the presence of Messi surely gives Barcelona the edge, but Real, too, cannot be taken lightly. Ramos will lead valiantly in the defense, and the result can be in Barcelona's favor with a scoreline of 2-1.
Fantasy XI
What should be the ideal Fantasy XI for the match?
Choose a 4-3-3 formation using Marc-André ter Stegen as the goal-keeper, and Ramos and Pique as the two center-backs, Jordi Alba should be the left back and Carvajal the right back. Kroos, Modric and Busquets should be the mid-fielders, while Suarez plays as the center-forward, Benzema the left forward and Messi the right forward.