Real Madrid vs Barcelona Preview

Real Madrid and Barcelona will rekindle their rivalry this Thursday when both sides meet at the Santiago Bernabeu for the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg.

Both sides are involved in an enthralling title quest but both dropped points at the weekend. Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw against their fierce rivals Atletico Madrid while Barcelona fell to a shock 1-0 defeat to struggling Almería.

So it’s safe to say neither team come into this tie in solid form. However, Real Madrid will be more confident of victory here given that their draw with Atletico Madrid was the only game they have dropped points in their last six games (W5, D1).

Having beaten Barcelona at the Bernabéu this season, they will back themselves to win this tie and set up a favourable second leg at the Cam Nou.

It’s been a dreadful week for Barcelona who have lost their last two games including a 2-1 loss to Manchester United that sent them out of the Europa League. Meanwhile, the aforementioned defeat to Almería on Sunday was an upset that Xavi described as his side’s “worst game of the season.”

They will be desperate to get back to winning ways here and will back themselves given their history in this fixture. The visitors have history on their side as they’ve lost none of the last five away H2Hs in this competition (W2, D3).