MADRID: FC Barcelona and Real Madrid meet for the fifth (and final) time this season when they play the return leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday night.
After losing 3-1 to Real Madrid in their first meeting of the campaign, Barca have won the last three clashes between the two sides, beating Real Madrid 3-1 in the Spanish Supercup, winning the first leg of the semifinal 1-0 with a defensive display in the Santiago Bernabeu in early March and then beating their eternal rivals 2-1 in their second La Liga meeting in the Camp Nou, two and a half weeks ago.
Although Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti continues to insist that he is relaxed about his future, the Italian must know that very few Madrid coaches who lose four times to Barca in a single campaign are likely to hold on to their jobs.
Real Madrid go into the game after thrashing Valladolid 6-0 on Sunday which saw Karim Benzema return to form with a seven-minute hat-trick, a Xinhua report said.
Ancelotti's squad has almost a clean bill of health, with left-back Ferland Mendy the only absentee with a muscle problem that will sideline him for several weeks. David Alaba will probably cover on the left, with Eder Militao and Antonio Rudiger in central defense.
Fede Valverde will probably return in an advanced midfield role, with Rodrygo dropping to the bench despite a good performance on Sunday.
Barca have more problems, with Pedri and Ousmane Dembele still not back from the injuries that kept them out of the first leg. Ronaldo Araujo, who is so important in trying to stop Vinicius Jr, returned to fitness against Elche on Saturday, but there is a major question mark over Frenkie de Jong, who didn't play at the weekend after suffering a muscle injury in the league game against Madrid last month.
Xavi Hernandez rested Sergio Busquets on Saturday and the veteran will start alongside Gavi and possibly Franck Kessie, who was the hero in the first leg and also in the last league meeting.
Expect a hostile reception for Real Madrid in Camp Nou, while referee Juan Martinez Munuera can expect a difficult night, with Real Madrid still unhappy about Marco Asensio's goal that was correctly ruled out for offside in the league game.