Barcelona vs Real Madrid match preview: Team news, head-to-head, lineups, & predictions

Barcelona team news

Barcelona Starting XI

Ter Stegen; Kounde, Araujo, Alonso, Balde; Kessie, Busquets, Gavi; Raphinha, Lewandowski, Ansu Fati

Recent form

The Catalan giants are 15 points clear of Madrid in the La Liga title race after a 4-0 win over Elche on Saturday, and are on a five-game winning run in all competitions which includes two Clasico wins.

Key players

Robert Lewandowski is beyond doubt Barcelona's go-to player this season. The Polish forward was out injured for the first leg but - warming up with a brace against Elche - he will be looking to make an impact this time around.

Injuries & suspensions

Ousmane Dembele, Pedri and Frenkie de Jong have hamstring injuries, while Andreas Christensen is out with a calf problem that he picked up while on international duty with Denmark.

Raphinha returns from a domestic ban that had kept the Brazilian out of the win over Elche.

Tactical approach

Christensen's injury means Marcos Alonso and Ronald Araujo will form the centre-back pairing, with Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde to hold on to their full-back positions. Marc-Andre ter Stegen is the number one choice in goal, while Balde has been the preferred choice for left-back over Jordi Alba of late.

Sergio Busquets would be among the changes after he was rested in the Elche win, with Eric Garcia making way, while Franck Kessie is another case over Sergi Roberto to complete the midfield with Gavi.

Ferran Torres will be sacrificed for Raphinha's return in the XI, while Lewandowski will lead the three-man attack along with Ansu Fati who has also given a good account of himself lately.

Real Madrid team news

Real Madrid Starting XI

Courtois; Vazquez, Militao, Nacho, Alaba; Kroos, Tchouameni, Modric; Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Junior

Recent form

Finishing the job against Liverpool in order to make it to the Champions League quarter-finals was part of Real Madrid's recovery after losing twice to Barcelona in the same month, with Karim Benzema and co. unleashing their fury in the 6-0 thrashing of Real Valladolid in Sunday's La Liga clash.

Key players

Benzema scored a hat-trick over the weekend and the Frenchman is always ready to score more goals given any opportunity that may befall him.

Injuries & suspensions

Ferland Mendy sustained a calf injury during training, while a knee problem sees Antonio Rudiger as a major doubt for the Clasico, while an unspecified issue keeps Mariano Diaz out of the squad.

Vinicius Junior's three yellow cards in the Copa del Rey were wiped out at the end of the quarter-finals, whereas defender Nacho Fernandez returns after serving a one-match suspension.

Tactical approach

The availability of Rudiger would play an important factor, but Militao's own goal would be forgiven as the latter is likely to be paired with Nacho in front of Thibaut Courtois.

David Alaba could hence be pushed into a wide role, with Eduardo Camavinga relegated to the bench. Similarly, Lucas Vazquez is likely to start ahead of Dani Carvajal after the former made a scoring impact against Valladolid.

Luka Modric is the undisputed choice in the middle alongside Aurelien Tchouameni and Toni Kroos, while Marco Asensio may need to be content starting as a substitute despite being among the scorers against Valladolid.

It's the same case with Rodrygo, as a well-rested Federico Valverde is expected to start on the right wing, with Vinicius offering support to Benzema from the other side.

Head-to-head record

Xavi's Barcelona are eyeing to keep this calendar year's perfect record against their arch-rivals intact after already beating Los Blancos thrice in all of the last three Clasico encounters. This includes the one-goal advantage from the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg tie at Santiago Bernabeu.

The Catalan giants have already clinched one piece of silverware from Real's grasps as Barca won the Spanish Super Cup final 3-1 in January, besides the 2-1 league win in March.

Venue, date & kick-off time

The Copa del Rey semi-final second-leg game between Barcelona and Real Madrid will be played at Camp Nou on Wednesday, April 5. The game is scheduled to kick off at 8pm BST (3pm EDT / 12:30am IST on April 6).

Match predictions & expected outcome

The momentum is clearly on Barcelona's side given a rock-solid defensive display and the edge after the 1-0 win from the first leg. However, Real Madrid have sent out a warning in their merciless 6-0 rout of Real Valladolid as Ancelotti's men look to overcome a hostile situation at Camp Nou.

The managers are already well versed with each other's tactics and should Madrid score first, it will open up a whole new perspective in the tie.

However, if the Blaugrana even manage to record a draw at their own fortress, that should do the trick for them. Expect Barcelona to win 2-1 on aggregate.

Key battles to watch out for

Marcos Alonso did enough to prevent Real Madrid from exploiting the Barcelona back-line in the first-leg clash and it should be an interesting battle between the Spaniard and Benzema.

On the other hand, Lewandowski is looking to add to his Clasico goal that helped his side win the Super Cup and will be met by resistance from the likes of Militao and Nacho.

Potential game changers

Eder Militao will have the opportunity to turn hero in the probable absence of Rudiger, as the Brazilian is so often known to play a crucial role in the defensive third and will be charged with the purpose of making amends for his own goal in the first leg.

For Barcelona, Fati will be looking to make the best of his game time after his strike against Elche amid talks of his move away from the club.

• Xavi knows well the importance of reaching the Copa del Rey final, especially after failing on the European stage with their Europa League exit at the hands of Manchester United.
• Ancelotti will want to keep his side's treble chances alive, even though they are 15 points adrift from Barcelona in La Liga - now that Madrid will also be involved Champions League quarter-finals against Chelsea.
• Real Madrid will also be looking to save themselves the humiliation of losing four consecutive Clasico games to Barcelona who clinched their 100th win in the fixture the last time out.

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