Barcelona set to win Copa del Rey El Clasico first leg
Vlad1988 / Shutterstock.com
On Wednesday night, arch-rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid clash at the Nou Camp in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg.
Barcelona heads into this game on the back of a 2-2 draw with in-form Valencia. However, the Catalan giants still maintain a healthy six-point lead at the top of the Spanish top-flight. Real Madrid are eight points behind the reigning champions.
Both sides can put the league to one side for now, as they look to win the second most prestigious trophy in the Spanish game, the Copa del Rey.
Barcelona are the holders and the most successful team in the history of the competition, having won the trophy on 30 occasions. Real Madrid has won the trophy 19 times.
The home side has a patchy recent record in this competition, as the Catalan’s have suffered defeat in the last two rounds at Levante and Sevilla. However, in both ties Ernesto Valverde’s side has roared back from first leg defeats to record convincing wins at the Nou Camp.
In fact, Barcelona have won 19 of their last 21 Copa matches at the Nou Camp. The last team to beat the Catalan giants on home soil in this competition were, in fact, Real Madrid back in 2014.
The home side heads into this game with the superior recent head-to-head record against Los Blancos, as Barcelona have won three of the last five meetings while remaining unbeaten.
Real Madrid will be confident of ending that recent winless run in this clash. Santiago Solari’s team have won their last five games in all competitions while scoring at least two goals in each of the victories. However, this game will show if the team from the capital have really turned a corner.
Forebet predicts that Barcelona will record a victory in a high-scoring encounter and head to the Bernabeu with a narrow lead for the second leg.
Home
Football 
Basketball
Hockey
American Football
Baseball
Rugby
Volleyball
Handball
Esoccer
