Barcelona and Real Madrid will put their La Liga title tussle to one side this weekend, but the battle between these great rivals is merely shifting to another arena. The Copa del Rey trophy is up for grabs on Saturday night.
The football world stops for virtually every edition of the Clasico, but the do-or-die nature of this edition makes it especially significant. Who will triumph in the cup?
Barcelona vs Real Madrid best bets
- Real Madrid to lift the trophy – 6/5 with bet365
- Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals – 7/5 with Spreadex
- Kylian Mbappe to score any time – 5/4 with Betano
Barcelona vs Real Madrid odds
Find the latest match odds for Barcelona vs Real Madrid. All odds are provided by our best football betting sites. Odds are subject to change.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid predictions
It is fair to say Barcelona have had Real Madrid’s number this season.
In the first Clasico of the campaign, held at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in October, Barcelona registered a stunning 4-0 victory. It was goalless at the break that evening, before Hansi Flick’s team ran riot in the second half.
Barcelona were riding a crest of a wave back then, whereas Madrid were still trying to find the right balance following the summer signing of Kylian Mbappe.
When the rivals next renewed hostilities in the Supercopa de Espana final in January, the momentum was with Madrid. Barcelona had gone off the boil in La Liga, allowing both Carlo Ancelotti’s side and Atletico Madrid back into the title conversation.
Yet it was the same story when the two teams faced off directly in Saudi Arabia. Despite having Wojciech Szczesny sent off in the 56th minute, Barcelona thrashed Madrid 5-2 to claim the trophy.
In addition to their head-to-head superiority, Flick’s team are having the better campaign more broadly. They lead Madrid by four points in the title race and they are also getting ready for the Champions League semi-finals, whereas their adversaries from the capital were knocked out by Arsenal in the last eight.
This game therefore feels like it is more important for Madrid than Barcelona. It is unthinkable that the Blancos could end the season without a single piece of silverware, but defeat on Saturday would make that outcome more likely than not.
In the grand scheme of things, the Copa del Rey ranks third on Barca’s list of priorities. Yet you will not be able to deduce that from their approach to this game. On Saturday Flick’s team will play like this is the only match that matters.
The absence of Robert Lewandowski is a blow. The Poland international is nursing a hamstring injury which he picked up in the 4-3 victory over Celta Vigo last weekend.
The team news makes for happier reading for Madrid fans, who learned in the last couple of days that Kylian Mbappe is in line to feature after an injury of his own.
Madrid and Barcelona are due to meet again in La Liga on May 11, but for now their full focus is on the Copa del Rey.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid betting tips
Barcelona and Real Madrid are ready to renew hostilities with a trophy on the line.
Real Madrid to lift the trophy
Real Madrid fans will hope that Ancelotti and his staff have learned plenty from Barcelona’s two Clasico wins so far this season.
Madrid are under more pressure than Barca and it is unclear at this stage whether that is a help or a hindrance. This writer, for one, is inclined to lean towards the former.
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Barcelona face Inter in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Wednesday. That match is bound to be in the back of the players’ minds.
Madrid, on the other hand, are able to treat Saturday’s contest as do or die. And they will be desperate to get their revenge on Barcelona for those 4-0 and 5-2 defeats.
The loss of Lewandowski is another factor which boosts Madrid’s chances, although they will not necessarily get the job done in 90 minutes.
Back Real Madrid to lift the trophy at 6/5 with bet365
Both teams to score and over 2.5 goals
This promises to be an enthralling encounter and we expect attacks to get the better of defences too.
The Clasico tends to deliver in terms of entertainment. In each of the last nine La Liga meetings, there have been at least three goals scored.
Meanwhile the last three finals between the pair, all of which came in the Supercopa de Espana, contained a total of 16 goals without a clean sheet in sight.
Madrid remain without four key defenders in Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy and David Alaba for the Copa del Rey showdown.
As for Barcelona, they take such extraordinary risks with their high defensive line that Madrid are bound to find a way through at some point.
Tip both teams to score and over 2.5 goals at 7/5 with Spreadex
Kylian Mbappe to score any time
Mbappe was booed by a section of the Bernabeu crowd last weekend.
Madrid won the Champions League last season without him; they will not win it this season with him. To those supporters, the situation is as simple as that.
To most outsiders, the jeering of Mbappe feels harsh. After all, this is a player who has scored 33 goals in all competitions – not bad for a debut campaign.
Mbappe will be desperate to make the difference in a big game like this one. With Lewandowski out, he is the favourite in the anytime scorer market – and these odds are worth taking up.
Go for Kylian Mbappe to score any time at 5/4 with Betano
How to watch Barcelona vs Real Madrid
- Location: Estadio de La Cartuja, Seville, Spain.
- Date and time: Saturday 26th April, 9pm.
- How to watch: Premier Sports 1.
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About the author
Greg Lea
Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.
Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball
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