Real Madrid Vs Barcelona Predicted Lineup: Dembele starts ahead of Coutinho

Here is the predicted XI of Barcelona for their Copa Del Rey Clash against their arch-rivals Real Madrid. 

Barcelona were without Lionel Messi in the first leg and the result was inevitable as they drew the game 1-1 against their arch-rivals Real Madrid in the first leg of the Copa Del Rey Semifinals.

They have struggled to break down teams when their skipper is not in the squad which has frustrated Ernesto Valverde given the amount of individual quality the Blaugrana have.

The Los Blancos receive a huge boost as their skipper Sergio Ramos will be in contention for the game after facing a suspension in the weekend. A stalemate will enough for Santiago Solari’s men to carry them to the finals.

Barcelona will know the equation. They will need to score a goal to stand a chance of qualifying for the finals. Real Madrid will be keen on revenge for their 5-1 loss in the La Liga earlier this campaign. It will not be the same for Barcelona as Santiago Solari has drilled the current crop well and has made them tougher to beat.

INJURY NEWS: 

Barcelona will be without their star midfielder Artur who is currently facing sidelines during to an injury. Jasper Cillessen, who suffered a calf injury continues to recover and will not be available for this clash.

French International Samuel Umtiti is expected to be restored in the squad after facing a lengthy lay-off on the treatment table with his continuous knee problems.

In the pre-match press conference, Ernesto Valverde said he expects his team to go through despite facing a tough challenge to face Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu.

“We have to play to win, like we always do. It will be an appealing game for people, but we want to win. It’s an important match, a Clasico at the Bernabeu is always complicated. The semi-finals are wide open, nothing has been decided, but we expect to go through.”

When he was asked about the use of Video Assistant Referee(VAR),  the Spaniard said “There’s no panic surrounding it at all. Controversy is always going to be there both in football and other sports and it’s more to do with people than the sport itself. We’ll look to win and forget about everything else.”

PREDICTED BARCELONA XI: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Nelson Semedo, Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Ivan Rakitic, Carlos Alena, Ousmane Dembele, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez. 

Lionel Messi has scored 15 goals against Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu, but he is yet to open the account in the Copa Del Rey. The Argentine has been in some sparkling form and it will take some doing to stop him.