Real Madrid and Barcelona renew their rivalry this Thursday in the Copa del Rey semifinals first leg at Santiago Bernabeu. Barca beat Real Sociedad to get here while Real disposed of bitter rivals Atletico Madrid. Xavi's men are currently seven points clear of Carlo Ancelotti's troops at the summit of La Liga and the Blaugrana won the most recent Clasico 3-1 which came in the Spanish Supercopa earlier this year. The return leg will come in early April at Camp Nou.
Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch El Clasico 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
Team news
Real: Ferland Mendy is yet to recover from a thigh injury which he suffered in the quarterfinals against Atleti. Rodrygo and David Alaba have also been struggling with injuries of late after the UEFA Champions League first-leg win over Liverpool. The Brazilian could return after training recently but the Austria international is out. Luka Modric's suspension will only kick in against Real Betis this weekend while Aurelien Tchouameni should partner him in the middle after the flu.
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Barca: Robert Lewandowski is likely to be out with a hamstring injury which is a significant blow for the Catalans. Ousmane Dembele and Pedri will also miss out with injuries but Ansu Fati could yet make it. Ferran Torres is another alternative to Lewandowski while Raphinha could also return after a foot injury following the Manchester United loss in the UEFA Europa League.
Live blog, stats, gameplan
Starting lineups
Real Madrid: Courtois; Carvajal; Militao; Nacho; Kroos; Benzema; Modric; Camavinga; Valverde; Vini Jr.; Rudiger
Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Araujo; Sergio; Gavi; Ferran; Marcos Alonso; Kiessie; De Jong; Raphinha; Kounde; Balde
Prediction
Real could shade this one given that the La Liga title is starting to look less likely. No Lewandowski is a big miss for Barca while Real's win over Liverpool showed that they can still lift themselves for big games. In any case, the tie will not be decided here -- even if it is advantage Real after the home leg. Pick: Real 2, Barca 1.
