Barcelona and Real Madrid are going to add another epic installment to their rivalry when they meet in the second leg of their semifinal match in the Copa del Rey.
Fàbio Coentrao’s recovery has given Mourinho more options for Tuesday’s Clásico. Real Madrid’s coach could line up two different 4-3-3 formations, one with Essien alongside Alonso and Khedira and the other with Luka Modric. Real Madrid needs to score, but the shortest way to the Copa del Rey Final could be preventing Barcelona from scoring and wait for the counterattack as AC Milan did in the first game of their Champions League tie against Messi and company.
Barcelona concedes goals quite frequently, so if Madrid manages to keep a clean sheet at the Camp Nou los blancos will be in a perfect situation. If Essien is the chosen one to play in the midfield, defenders Álvaro Arbeloa and Fàbio Coentrao would have much more help against Alba, Pedro, Villa and the rest of Barcelona’s wingers. With Modric, Mourinho would lose that defensive presence that Essien provides, but the Croatian player would prevent Barcelona from having the ball as much. Modric likes to play with the ball, so this doesn’t seem the right game for him, though.
The other option is to play with the usual 4-2-3-1 formation and press Barcelona’s defenders. That turned to be a good strategy in the past few meetings, but Barcelona has always managed to score. Barça has always been seen as a positional team, but they are lethal in transition.
Copa Del Rey 2013 Barcelona vs Real Madrid:Latest team news
Barcelona quartet Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fabregas and Xavi are all expected to return to Barca’s starting XI, having been rested during the weekend’s win over Sevilla in La Liga. David Villa has been passed fit meaning the only concern for the Blaugrana’s assistant coach Jordi Roura is defender Adriano, who has a hamstring problem.
Real Madrid should have midfielder Xabi Alonso and forward Karim Benzema back from minor injuries. The pair missed Saturday’s 2-1 comeback La Liga victory at Deportivo La Coruna, when Jose Mourinho initially left top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench but brought him on in the second half to set up Gonzalo Higuain’s late winner.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid:Manager Quotes
Jordi Roura (Barca assistant): “The referee (Alberto Undiano) is who he is and we do are not going assess the officials and whether they are good or bad. But there is evidence that our numbers with him are worse than they are with others, much lower. One fact is that the only league game we have lost is with this referee, and we have in memory the permissiveness that was the Copa del Rey final. It is a statistical issue. That said, we must wish him all the luck in the world and we certainly hope that his decisions do not mark the end of the game.”
Jose Mourinho: “I prefer to stick to the lessons we have received in the past from Barcelona. Lessons of sportsmanship, of how to act in football. I do not speak about referees, nor crowd around them, nor look for yellow cards for opponents, nor conceal things. And, of course, lessons in how to play football, which they do very well. We must try, humbly, to follow that line. This is an isolated game, with nothing to do with past ones. Anyway, that was a long time ago. We have not played there for months. We must try and play as well as possible to get the best result possible. Form does not matter so much in games between the best teams. The moment in which the game is played has no significance.”
FC Barcelona vs Real Madrid Copa Del Rey 2013 Semi Final Match Stats
• Barcelona is on a 22-match unbeaten run at Camp Nou in all competitions (W18, D4).
• The Catalan giants have won just one of their last six encounters against Real Madrid (W1, D3, L2).
• Lionel Messi has scored a club-record 17 goals in 23 Clasico appearances.
• Real Madrid is facing Barcelona for the 224th time in all competitions. The capital club have 88 wins to Barca`s 87.
• Los Blancos have only won three of their last 10 away matches across all competitions (W3, D3, L4).
• Cristiano Ronaldo has scored seven goals in his last seven matches against Barcelona.
El Clasico Barcelona vs Real Madrid likely Line-Ups
Barcelona (4-3-3): Pinto; Alves, Piqué, Puyol, Alba; Busquets, Xavi, Iniesta; Pedro, Messi, Villa
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Lopez; Ramos, Varane, Pepe, Arbeloa; Khedira, Alonso; Di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo; Benzema
[adrotate banner=”58″]
