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The El Classico once again dons upon us as the two greatest clubs in Spanish football clash against each other in a two-legged fixture. Defending champions Barcelona host Real Madrid at the Camp Nou in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals on Wednesday.
Defending champions Barcelona have been far from their best in the domestic cup, losing the first leg of both of their previous matches. The Blaugrana though can draw confidence from the fact that they have been imperious at the Camp Nou in cup competitions after overturning their defeats in both of their previous matches. Ernesto Valverde and his men will have to take the field without their talisman and captain Lionel Messi, who looks almost certain to miss the first leg after picking up a knock against Valencia at the weekend.
Real Madrid is far from the disappointing out of sorts team that was thrashed by arch-rivals Barcelona in their last meeting. Santiago Solari has instilled back rhythm and consistency in the Los Blancos as the Argentine has guided them to 18 wins from their 23 matches since the departure of Julen Lopetegui. Real Madrid will be up for revenge against their arch nemesis as they look to win their first Copa del Rey since the 2013-14 season.
Barcelona is the most successful team in the competition with 30 titles while Real Madrid remains third in the list with 18 titles.
Kickoff Information
Date: 6th February 2019
Time: 21:00 (local time), 01:30 (IST)
Venue: Nou Camp, Barcelona
Form Guide
Last 5 competitive fixtures
Real Madrid: W-W-W-W-W
Barcelona: D-W-W-L-W
Head to Head
Real Madrid: 99 wins
Barcelona: 113 wins
Draw: 60 draws
Key Players
Barcelona - Luis Suarez
With Lionel Messi unlikely to feature in the first leg of the semi-finals, the onus will be on Luiz Suarez to fill the void left by their talisman. The Uruguayan was in blistering form when Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid earlier in the season at Nou Camp, and they will be hoping for more of the same from him.
Real Madrid - Vinicius Junior
The young Brazilian has been the best player to come out since the departure of Julen Lopetegui in October. The teenager has been on fire in the Copa del Rey this season, with 2 goals and 6 assists in the competition.
