christian buschardt
PREVIEW: Real Madrid vs Barcelona Copa del Rey 2023
Predictions, lineups and team news
As the season goes one, the La Liga race takes a halt as the top two teams take on each other in the first leg of the semi fails of this years Copa del Rey in a much anticipated El Clásico.
The two Madridian sides took on each other in the last round of the competition, where the Los Blancos took over at the Santiago Bernabeu where they will meet the Catalonians team.
Real Madrid has not won the Copa del Rey since the 2013-14 season, in fact they haven't even reached the Final since then either. In the 9 years between then, Barca has won 5 of those trophies, while the other times were taken over by Real Sociedad, Real Betis and Valencia.
But the scope of La Liga has changed since then as lots of moves and transfers affected the entirety of European and some international clubs. Most of the teams since then have changed, besides the current team leaders in Sergion Busquets for Barcelona, while Madrid still have Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema, and of course Luka Modrić. Since then two of those players won the Ballon d'Or, in 2018 and 2022, and it is noticeable on the pitch.
On their way to the semi final, Real Madrid had to go through Cacereno and Villareal who did not stand the supremacy of Madrid, then followed by a challenging matchup versus Altético Madrid that was saved by Rodrygo as he managed to even the score late in the game. The Match ended going to extra time where Benzema and Vini Jr both scored to seal the game. In contrast to the Blaugrana who only needed 1 goal from Ousmane Dembele to reach the final 4.
More recently both Madridian sides met in a La Liga fixture as Los Blancos took upon Los Rojiblancos again at the Santiago Bernabeu, where we would witness two late goals from each side as 18 year old Real Madrid new comer Alvaro Rodriguez equalized in the last 5 minutes of the game.
For Barcelona it's a different story, as they could have secured a 10 point lead in La Liga, the red and blue stripes could not find the end of the net with 13 shots vs Almeria (15th) as they were defeated by a young team with the young star El Bilal Touré.
In their last 7 games Barcelona have only won 4 games, losing once to Almeria and losing and drawing to Manchester United in the Europa League. The Catalan side seems to have fallen a little bit since their last 3 wins in La Liga, and those were against lower ranked teams. Additionally, they will have to play without Lewandowski, who is out on a muscle injury, meaning he will be sidelined for the game next to Ousmane Dembele.
For Real Madrid who have not participated in a Cope del Rey semi final since 2018, this is the go ahead to get a win in the first leg of the game as Barcelona are on the verge of becoming unstable. They have won 5 of their last 6 games while drawing once in their last performance against Atletico Madrid, which gives them a good momentum in the competition.
Having lost their last European Game vs Man United, the Blaugrana's need for Spanish glory is necessary, it has become a must, which explains the disappointment in the team after Saturday's loss in Almeria. With 7 points clear from the second spot in La Liga is still a big lead, especially as the second spot is occupied by Real Madrid, but Barcelona will have to make changes in order to maintain that lead.
The real issue lies in the recent back to back losses, which haven't happened to the team since April 2022, which comes at a bad time right before El Clásico. If Barcelona loses to Real Madrid tonight, it will be hard to overcome adversity with fans, the press, competing teams, and of course what happens in the locker room.
As if it weren't enough for the Catalan team, Lewandowski will be missing the game, as previously mentioned, among others including Pedri who has been a big factor on the team when starting the game. This adds on the shoulders of the team as the chances of scoring get slimmer and losing becomes more and more of a possibility. On the bright side, Xavi seems positive that Ansu Fati's bruised knee will heal in time for El Clásico. Despite Fati healing from his injury, it looks like Ferran Torres will be the first option to replace Lewandowski as the primary striker alongside Raphinha and Gavi
Unfortunately for Real Madrid they will also suffer from injuries in David Alaba as he joins Ferland Mendy on the sideline as both suffered a hamstring injury. Like Alaba, Rodrygo got injured against Liverpool, as he suffered a leg injury. Luckily for Los Blancos the young Brazilian star has been spotted training prior to tonight's game, which might have a big outcome on the match.
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
Predictions:
Over 2.5 goals
Both teams to score
Real Madrid to win the first leg 3-1
Regardless of La Liga's standings and being past Copa del Rey winners, Barcelona find themselves in a tricky situation as Lewandowski and Pedri's injuries which should have a big effect on the match result.
Contrary to Barca, Carlo Ancelloti's team will feature a star studded midfield to accompany Karim Benzema.