Football fans' eyes will turn to the Spanish capital on Wednesday evening. The first participant of the King's Cup final will be determined at the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium.
Two Spanish football titans will clash in the semifinals - Madrid's "Real" and "Barcelona". The first match in the Catalan capital ended in a draw 1:1, so all the intrigue moves to the royal Madrid.
Madrid's "Real" has not played in the King's Cup final since 2014, when at that time "Barcelona" had won the trophy for the last four seasons.
The match will start at 22:00. Here is the match preview:
Teams' results
Both teams secured victories in the Spanish league last weekend. Both "Barca" and "Real" did not have easy matches, but they managed to grab the victories.
Madrid's "Real", in great sports form since mid-January, has recently encountered problems on the field again. They only defeated Valencia's "Levante" with penalty kicks, and just a week ago suffered an unexpected loss at home to the "Girona" team.
However, prior to that, in the last eight matches, the "White" team had won seven games and even drew peacefully with "Barca". Santiago Solari's students after the Madrid derby, where they won 3-1, could not boast of effective offense - in the last three matches, they did not exceed two goals.
„Real Madrid's“ stunning goals against Barcelona! #RMClasico | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/VopwYwwwpw
„Barcelona“ fought against the always strong "Sevilla" at home last weekend. As usual, the match did not disappoint - the Andalusians scored twice, but Lionel Messi miraculously scored three goals and with an assist won over the hosts 4:2.
Comparing the form of both teams, "Barca" has recorded worse results in the last ten matches - five wins, four draws, and one loss in the King's Cup to the "Sevilla" team.
The game of both teams in this stage of the season is unpredictable, so neither of the teams is labeled as a favorite at the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium.
Teams' news
Both teams practically have no problems with their line-ups. Madrid's "Real" will definitely not have Marcos Llorente, who appeared in the first match and got injured. Isco, who has not played for a while, is also ready for the match, but there are strong doubts that Santiago Solari will need his services.
Sergio Ramos missed the last "La Liga" matches due to disqualification, but will be fully prepared for the decisive match against "Barcelona".
"Barcelona" also practically has no problems - Arthur, who recovered from an injury, was included in the registered players list, but there is a small chance that the Brazilian will play in the starting lineup.
„Valverde: "It's an important match — an #ElClásico at the Bernabéu is always complicated. The semifinals are wide open, nothing has been decided, but we expect to go through." #ElClásico pic.twitter.com/btnM1MOzi0” - FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona)
No major surprises are expected in the starting line-ups of both teams. It is believed that Arthur will still be replaced by Arturo Vidal, while Ousmane Dembele will replace Philippe Coutinho on the wing. In turn, "Real" will most likely play in a 4-3-3 formation. Vinicius Junior and Gareth Bale are expected on the wings.
Predicted starting line-ups:
„Real Madrid“: (4-3-3) Keylor Navas; Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Sergio Reguilon; Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Luka Modrič, Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale.
„Barcelona“: (4-3-3) Marc-Andre ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Gerard Pique, Samuel Umtiti, Jordi Alba; Ivan Rakitič, Sergio Busquets, Arturo Vidal; Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Ousmane Dembele.
Interesting facts
This will be the 240th "El Clasico" in the history of the two clubs. "Real" has achieved 95 victories, "Barcelona" - 93, and there have been 51 draws.
Madrid's "Real" club has not lost in the King's Cup in 34 out of 38 matches played.
Barcelona's last visit to the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium was quite successful - the Catalans celebrated a 3-0 victory over their rivals in their stronghold.
In the 2012-13 season, these two teams also met in the King's Cup semifinal. The first match also ended in a draw 1:1, but in the return match, "Real" celebrated victory and advanced to the final.
Barcelona, in their last four visits to the stronghold of "Real", has scored more than two goals three times.
In the King's Cup, the Madrid team has scored a total of 13 goals in their last three home matches.
Lionel Messi is no stranger to the walls of the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium - he has scored 15 goals here throughout his career.
