[ad_1]
The semifinals of the Copa Del Rey will feature one of the biggest games in the world as Barcelona and Real Madrid will meet for the first leg of the semifinals on Thursday. Only one team can go on to lift the trophy as the winner will face either Osasuna or Athletico Bilbao.
Barcelona are on track to win La Liga and currently seven points ahead of Real Madrid and Xavi has already secured his first trophy in charge with a Spanish Super Cup victory, also over Real Madrid. But with Barca falling out of Europa League at the hands of Manchester United, this is a competition that they need to win to have a successful season. It’s also an important competition for Real Madrid as their La Liga dominance is under threat. Los Blancos are still in the running for a Champions League victory but with the team so many points behind, they may need to secure a double — not counting the Club World Cup — to feel good about how things have gone.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, Mar. 2 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Santiago Bernabeu — Madrid, Spain
- Live stream: ESPN+
- Odds: Real -105; Draw: +260; Barca +270 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
- Live updates: El Clasico
With three El Clasico’s coming in the next 35 days, let’s take a look at some numbers that could define the matchup:
8: Goals allowed by Barcelona in 23 league matches
This is a bit of a misleading statistic as while Barca allows 0.35 goals per La Liga match played, it’s a number that ballons when they enter cup competition. Across 15 cup matches this season, Barcelona have allowed 19 goals for a much more reasonable 1.23 goals allowed per match. While that’s still a great number, it does show that when Barcelona’s defense is tested by good attackers — which Real Madrid have — that their defense can be bested. It’s especially an issue when Barcelona are doing things like playing Marcos Alonso at center back which is great for a possession-based game…
[ad_2]
