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The marathon of the great "El Clasico" continues - on Wednesday, Madrid's "Real" and "Barcelona" will clash for the first time in the Champions League, where any previous results between them will not matter.
UEFA Champions League. Semi-final match
Madrid "Real" - "Barcelona"
Date: Wednesday, 2011.04.27, 21.45 Lithuanian time
Location: "Santiago Bernabeu" (80,000 seats), Madrid, Spain
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)
TV Broadcast: TV6, "Viasat Sport Baltic" (live)
Return match: 2011.05.03
Just a week ago, "Barcelona" realistically dreamed of three trophies this season, but in the King's Cup final they lost to Madrid's "Real" after extra time. To make matters worse, over the weekend, after a tough battle, they managed to beat the Spanish league's outsider "Osasuna", while "Real" mercilessly crushed 6-3 the third-placed "Valencia".
After these events, some football fans' minds turned upside down - believing in Jose Mourinho's magic, they started talking louder about how the previously almost "invincible" Barcelona might fall to the Madrid team.
"I think "Real" is the favorite. That's what many are saying now," said Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. "I understand that Barcelona is not in the best form right now, as we are plagued by defenders' injuries, but we are mentally prepared to fight. The players aimed for victory in the match against "Osasuna", so I am confident they will aim for victory in the match at the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium."
The defense of the Spanish champions has truly weakened. Due to an injury, Adriano, who usually plays on the side, dropped out of the lineup, joining the recovering Eric Abidal, and the direct replacement for Adriano - Maxwell, who injured his groin, did not travel to Madrid. Nevertheless, the good news for the Catalans is that both captain Carles Puyol and Gabriel Milito, who will most likely remain on the bench, will be able to take the field.
Interestingly, at Mourinho's request, the grass at the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium was allowed to grow to almost maximum allowable height. This way, the Portuguese hopes to slow down the ball's speed, which is favorable to Barcelona's team.
"The grass is really high, but we won't cry over it. "Real" always takes great care of defense and tries to stop our passing-based play. They take all possible measures for that," said Barcelona defender Gerard Pique.
History and statistics would say that "Real" can indeed expect success. In European cup semi-finals, the Madrid team has already defeated its main opponent at this stage twice - in 1960 and 2002. The last time the capital's team secured victory with a final score of 3-1, and went on to win against Leverkusen's "Bayer" in the final.
In addition, "Barcelona" has played in the semi-finals 11 times, but won only five times, and this season in the Champions League, they have only won against Donetsk's "Shakhtar". It will not be easy to win tonight, as "Real" is strong at home.
Madrid club's chances at home were emphasized by the home defender Sergio Ramos: "The fans must score our first goal. Every team coming to Madrid must feel the intimidating atmosphere. Also, the players are more united than ever now. The Champions League is extremely important, so we hope for success. There is a big responsibility ahead, but we will give our all to win."
Possible starting line-ups:
"Real": Iker Casillas; Alvaro Arbeloa, Sergio Ramos, Raul Albiol, Marcelo; Lassana Diarra, Pepe, Xabi Alonso; Angel Di Maria, Mesut Ozil; Cristiano Ronaldo.
"Real" will be missing key midfielder Sami Khedira, who should be replaced by Lassana Diarra. Also, Ricardo Carvalho is suspended, so Raul Albiol will play in the heart of defense.
"Barcelona": Victor Valdes; Dani Alves, Javier Mascherano, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol; Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Xavi; Pedro, Lionel Messi, David Villa.
The biggest trouble for Barcelona is in defense. Maxwell, Abidal, Adriano will not play, so they will likely have to rely on nominal midfielder Javier Mascherano or Sergio Busquets to drop back into defense.
Video introducing the match:
