Real Madrid vs Barcelona preview
Barcelona’s season suffered a heavy setback last week after a resurgent Manchester United knocked them out of the Europa League. To make matters worse, they then lost to Almeria, a team deep in the relegation battle in the league. And now they face their fiercest rival Real Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey at the Santiago Bernabeu. Los Blancos also had a week of highs and lows as they defeated Liverpool 5-2 at Anfield but could only manage a draw at home against Atletico Madrid in the league. This is despite the fact that Atletico played with ten men for the last 26 minutes.
However, now the focus will shift to a new tournament where both teams will look for bragging rights by winning the match. In the current season, both teams have one win to their name. While Real Madrid won the league clash in October, Barcelona defeated their rivals in the Supercopa de Espana in January.
While Xavi’s men may have been knocked out of Europa League, they still hold a seven-point advantage in the league. However, players of both teams tend to raise their game for the clash, which means on their day, any team can thrash the other.
Real Madrid started the season very poorly but have turned around their form recently, but that has not been enough to match the incredibly consistent form of Barcelona.
On the other hand, Barcelona have been impeccable, with star striker Robert Lewandowski leading with 15 goals, the most by any player in the league to his name. However, their defence has been the bedrock of their success. The team has conceded eight goals in 23 matches, the best across the top five leagues in Europe.
Real Madrid are paying the price for a horrible start to the season and defeating Barcelona in the Copa del Rey will give them the confidence to try to catch the Catalans in the league title race.
FC Barcelona in a season defining week:
🚫 Elimination vs Manchester United
🚫 Loss vs Almeria
❓ vs Real Madrid pic.twitter.com/Ld2MQvbg79— Managing Barça (@ManagingBarca) February 26, 2023
Real Madrid vs Barcelona team news
Real Madrid will be without their left-back Ferland Mendy, who has a muscle injury. In addition, centre-back David Alaba and Rodrygo are also injured at the moment. However, Rodrygo could still be fit in time for the clash. Apart from that, Carlo Ancelotti has a fully healthy squad to choose from. This means Thibaut Courtois will start in goal, with Nacho, Antonio Rudiger, Eder Militao,…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at FootTheBall…