Spanish football will experience a new classic, a month and a half after the last edition that defined the Super Cup. This time, Real Madrid will be local this Thursday against Barcelona, in the great Spanish soccer classic, corresponding to the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. The game will be played from 5:00 p.m. at the renovated Santiago Bernabéu stadium in the Spanish capital, with transmission by Directv Sports.
45 days ago, the Iberian giants met at the King Fahd Stadium in Saudi Arabia, in an unequal clash that Barcelona resolved with a resounding 3-1 victory to win the Super Cup trophy. However, for both the season is not so linear, with important contrasts and very pronounced slopes according to the different events.
Real Madrid has had a great season internationally, with a start to the year that saw them win the Club World Cup and with one foot in the quarterfinals of the Champions League after beating Liverpool 5-2 as a visitor. The other side is his performance in the Spanish League, in which he is second, seven points behind Barcelona, and leaving units in apparently simple matches.
On the contrary, the Catalan team remains firm within the borders of Spain, with the comfortable leadership in the League and the celebration in the Super Cup in January, but failed to capture its effectiveness at the European level, since it was left out first of the Champions in the group stage and then he was eliminated in the round of 16 in the Europa League against Manchester United.
In fact, the “Blaugrana” coach himself, Xavi Hernández, marked the contrast between the two teams in the previous press conference. “We approach it in the same way as always against Real Madrid. They are a tough opponent, who sometimes do not dominate you but with a transition and two touches they plant themselves in your goal. They are a difficult opponent. They beat us there well, and us in the Super Cup”, explained the former midfielder. “The competition is different. Everything will be decided at the Camp Nou. We will go out to win and show our personality. It is an opportunity to win another title”, he emphasized. In this context, both will look for a victory that will leave them in a good position for the return leg on Wednesday, April 5 at the Camp Nou in Barcelona.
On the other hand, Osasuna, with the Argentine Ezequiel “Chimy” Ávila, will face Athletic Bilbao, in Pamplona, this Wednesday at 5:00 p.m., for the other key to the semifinals of the same competition.