Real Madrid vs Barcelona prediction: SPAIN: Copa del Rey betting tips on match 2023-03-01 20:00.
Fierce rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona head into this Copa del Rey (CDR) semi-final first leg after both dropping La Liga points at the weekend. While Madrid rescued a draw with a late equaliser against city rivals AtlĂ©tico, Barcelona were shocked in a 1-0 defeat to AlmerĂa so neither side is at their peak as they face off for âEl ClĂĄsicoâ number three of the season (one win apiece) and the 252nd overall.
Although Madrid could only cut Barcelonaâs league lead to seven points, they extended their unbeaten run to six matches (W5, D1), including thrashing Liverpool 5-2 in the UEFA Champions League and overcoming Al-Hilal 5-3 to win the FIFA Club World Cup. But Los Blancos havenât waltzed their way through to this stage, with two CDR wins by a one-goal margin followed by an extra-time 3-1 victory over AtlĂ©tico in the quarter-finals.
Itâs been a dreadful week for Barcelona as they exited the UEFA Europa League at the hands of Manchester United on Thursday, before falling to a first-ever defeat to AlmerĂa on Sunday. That was an upset that Xavi described as his sideâs âworst game of the seasonâ, adding that the record 31-time CDR winners lacked intensity and rhythm.
Therefore, Barcelona might need to press the reset button to repeat either of their two victories across the last three meetings with their eternal rivals (L1), including a 4-0 success at the BernabĂ©u last March. History is on their side in one sense as theyâve lost none of the last five away H2Hs in this competition (W2, D3), though the absence of key stars Ousmane DembĂ©lĂ©, Pedri and Robert Lewandowski threatens to undermine that record ahead of this cup clash.
Players to watch: After becoming their youngest scorer against AtlĂ©tico this century at 18 years and 226 days, Madridâs Ălvaro RodrĂguez could be asked to make another late impact as two of his last three club goals came after the 75th minute. The somewhat more experienced Ferran Torres (22) netted here for Barcelona in October and may also threaten late as all five of his club goals this term arrived after the 40th minute.
Hot stat: Both teams scored in six of the last seven H2Hs (Madrid: W5, L2).