M
SM
Emiliano Sala: 1990-2019

La Liga

TIMELINE

5 talking points ahead of Barcelona and Real Madrid's Copa del Rey semi-final

By Mark Mann-Bryans, | 4d
The Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg between the two bitter rivals takes place on Wednesday.

Barcelona host El Clasico rivals Real Madrid as the pair meet at the Nou Camp in the opening leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday.

The bitter opponents will clash three times in the coming weeks as they battle for supremacy at the end of the season.

Here, Press Association Sport takes a look at the major talking points ahead of the game.

Will Lionel be fit to make it a Messi night for Madrid defence?

Lionel Messi could sit out the visit of Real Madrid with a leg injury. (Nick Potts/PA)

Lionel Messi has scored 12 goals in his last nine games.

The diminutive Argentinian is in fine form but suffered a minor leg injury in Saturday's LaLiga draw with Valencia.

While Messi trained on Tuesday evening, Barca coach Ernesto Valverde would not be drawn on whether the 31-year-old would be risked but he was included in the squad.

What is ailing Bale?

Gareth Bale scored twice in Real's Champions League final win last season. (Nick Potts/PA)

Gareth Bale returned from a calf injury at the weekend having missed Real's eight games before the 3-0 win over Alaves.

The Wales international did not look at his best in that win and there is a suggestion in some quarters that he is struggling to fill the sizeable void left by Cristiano Ronaldo's exit.

Bale will be hoping for another chance to provide the sort of heroics he did off the bench in last season's Champions League win over Liverpool.

Familiarity breeds contests

  • Barcelona wins - 14
  • Real Madrid wins - 12
  • Draws - 7

There is not much these two Spanish giants do not know about one another.

But this is the first of three games between Barcelona and Real Madrid over the next 24 days, with the second leg of the semi-final and the LaLiga clash – both at the Bernabeu – still to come.

Wednesday's first game will be a good barometer for both managers to judge what is needed to secure positive results in the coming month.

Squad goals

Isco, left, has found LaLiga minutes hard to come by under Santiago Solari. (Mike Egerton/PA)

Although it is a cup semi-final, both Valverde and Real Madrid counterpart Santiago Solari may look to make some changes.

Real in particular, need to keep an eye on the league – where they sit third, eight points adrift of leaders Barcelona – and face a Madrid derby against second-placed Atletico at the weekend.

That could lead to some fringe players being given a chance to shine at the Nou Camp – with the likes of Brahim Diaz, Isco and Marcos Llorente hoping for the call.

Another five-star showing for Barcelona?

Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick the last time Barcelona and Real Madrid met. (Adam Davy/PA)

Barcelona have been the team to beat in LaLiga once again this season.

Their 5-1 thrashing of Real Madrid earlier in the campaign led to Julen Lopetegui losing his job as coach just months after taking over.

Luis Suarez bagged a hat-trick on a night to remember for Barcelona but their Clasico rivals have improved since then and will be keen to exact a modicum of revenge on Wednesday.



amp_article_349449 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-02-05 22:03:58:
html db last update - 2019-02-09 20:07:38 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Loading ...

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool26205159154465
2Manchester CityMan City26202468204862
3Tottenham HotspurSpurs25190651242757
4Manchester UnitedMan Utd26156552351751
5Chelsea25155545232250
6Arsenal26155653371650
7Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2511593332138
8Watford2610793434037
9Everton2796123639-333
10West Ham UnitedWest Ham2696113239-733
11Bournemouth26103133747-1033
12Leicester CityLeicester2595113031-132
13Crystal Palace2676132734-727
14Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2676132839-1127
15Burnley2676132947-1827
16Southampton26510112843-1525
17Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2566132133-1224
18Cardiff CityCardiff2665152347-2423
19Fulham2645172558-3317
20Huddersfield TownHuddersfield2625191448-3411
Scroll for more - Tap for full version

Subscribe to our Newsletter


Transfer Talk Daily
Match previews - twice weekly
Morning Briefing (7am UTC)
UC
Get the latest transfer news, match previews and news direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

Select and display your favourite team's news and scores in this panel
Bundesliga Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Borussia DortmundDortmund21155154233150
2Bayern Munich21143447242345
3Borussia MonchengladbachBorussia M'bach21133541212042
4RB Leipzig21115538182038
5Eintracht FrankfurtFrankfurt2196640271333
6Bayer LeverkusenB. Leverkusen2110383732533
7Wolfsburg219573230232
8Hertha Berlin218763431331
9Hoffenheim217954132930
10Werder Bremen207673232027
11Mainz 05217682333-1027
12Freiburg215882937-823
13Schalke 04Schalke2164112532-722
14Fortuna DusseldorfDusseldorf2064102239-1722
15Augsburg2046102933-418
16Stuttgart2043131744-2715
17Hannover2135132044-2414
18Nuremberg2126131746-2912
Scroll for more - Tap for full version
X

We value your privacy

A part of our GDPR compliance we need to ask for your consent. We and our partners use technology such as cookies on Sports Mole to personalise content and ads, provide social media features, and analyse our traffic. Click below to consent to the use of this technology on Sports Mole.