Barcelona are aiming for a fifth straight Copa del Rey when they host arch-rivals Real Madrid who are hoping to banish a poor record in the competition in the first leg of the semi-final at the Camp Nou. You can bet on the game here.
The first El Clasico of 2019 sees Barcelona hosting Real Madrid in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final. The Catalans will be looking for their fifth straight title in the competition while the visitors will seek to get rid of a poor record in the competition which they’ve won only thrice in more than two decades.
Lionel Messi rescued a point for Barcelona against Valencia at the Camp Nou on Saturday which ended their run of eight straight league victories. Furthermore, the last time they played in this competition, they thrashed last season’s finalist Sevilla 6-1 to advance to the semis. The win indicated that the Catalans are in the mood for another domestic title.
Although they were on the end of an embarrassing 5-1 defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals, Real Madrid come into this encounter under better circumstances. They are on a five-game winning streak and they should give the home side plenty to think about on Wednesday.
Betting preview
Both teams are coming into this match in good form. Barcelona are still at the summit of La Liga and have only lost once at home in the league. Madrid have not won at the Camp Nou in the last three fixtures. So you can back a Home Win at odds of 1.75.
Real Madrid have been scoring freely in their last few games. They’ve scored 16 goals in the last five games in all competition while Barca have netted 13 in five games. Therefore, you can back Over 2.5 Goals in this match at odds of 1.50.
The last time Barcelona failed to find the back of the net at the Camp Nou was in 2007. Meanwhile, Madrid have scored in each of their last 14 matches away to Barcelona. Therefore you can back Both Teams to Score at odds of 1.50.
Team news
Jasper Cillessen is expected to miss out through injury. Rafinha and Samuel Umtiti also remain sidelined while Sergio Busquets returns from suspension. Barca will also be sweating over the fitness of Messi.
Santiago Solari will be happy to welcome Dani Carvajal and Raphael Varane who missed the Alaves game through suspension.
Possible line-ups
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Semedo, Pique, Lenglet, Alba; Arthur, Rakitic, Busquets; Coutinho, L Suarez, Messi
Real Madrid: Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Kroos, Modric; Lucas, Benzema, Vinicius