Henry Roldán
El Clásico moves once again to the Copa del Rey and this Thursday Real Madrid vs Barcelona will go head-to-head in the first leg of the 2022-23 semifinal of the historic Spanish competition. Los Merengues come into the match after defeating Atlético Madrid in the quarterfinals by a score of 3-1 in extra time. For their part, the Blaugranas defeated Real Sociedad by a score of 1-0.
This will be the third occasion that these eternal rivals have met this season, after Real Madrid won 3-1 in their first La Liga clash and Barcelona triumphed 1-3 in the Spanish Super Cup final. Without further ado, JefeBet brings you the best preview of the stellar Copa del Rey match between Real Madrid vs Barcelona.
Predictions, Odds, and Betting Preview for the Real Madrid vs Barcelona Copa del Rey Semifinals Match on March 2, 2023
- Where: Santiago Bernabeu Stadium – Madrid, Spain.
- When: Thursday, March 2, 2023, 3:00 PM E.T.
- Moneyline: Real Madrid (+100) / Tie (+250) / Barcelona (+275).
- Asian Handicap: Real Madrid (-0.5, +100) / Barcelona (+0.5, -120).
- Over/Under (2.5): Over (-115) / Under (-104).
- Both teams score: Yes (-148) / No (+112).
All odds shown are courtesy of Unibet.
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Betting on Real Madrid
Real Madrid has a good opportunity this Thursday to continue sinking their eternal rivals with a good result in front of their fans and in an important stage of the Copa del Rey. Carlo Ancelotti’s men are coming into this clash with a thirst for revenge after losing the Spanish Super Cup in January and also being second in La Liga, seven points behind Barcelona.
The good news for them is that their performance in recent matches has been better than that of their opponents, as they have not lost in their last three matches in the Spanish league and in the Champions League they defeated Liverpool 2-5 as visitors. In the third matchday they defeated Cacereño by 0-1, then they beat Villarreal 2-3 and finally overcame Atlético de Madrid.
They are also undefeated at home this campaign after 15 games played in all competitions, with only 11 goals conceded.
Probable lineup (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Antonio Rüdiger, Éder Militão, Nacho Fernández; Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Federico Valverde; Marco Asensio, Karim Benzema, Vinícius Júnior.
Betting on Barcelona
While the Copa del Rey is one of the two competitions in which Barcelona are still standing, the current La Liga leaders are in a far from encouraging condition ahead of this semi-final at the Santiago Bernabéu. In addition to losing their last league game and being eliminated last week by Manchester United from the Europa League, the Blaugranas come into this duel with some very important absences.
Xavi Hernandez’s side will be without striker Robert Lewandowski, who was injured on the weekend, and the list of absentees also includes Ousmane Dembélé and Pedri. Unfortunately for the visiting team, all of them are key players in the Spanish coach’s scheme.
As for their participation in the current cup, in the third round they needed extra time to beat Intercity 3-4, then beat Ceuta 0-5 and finally defeated Real Sociedad. Likewise, Barcelona has not fared very well lately playing away from home as they have lost their last two matches on rival soil (Almeria and Manchester United) and this year Madrid already defeated them at the Bernabeu.
Possible lineup (4-3-3): Marc-André ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Andreas Christensen, Eric García, Alejandro Balde; Frenkie De Jong, Sergio Busquets, Franck Kessie; Raphina, Ferrán Torres, Gavi.
JefeBet Prediction
The Clásicos are always a tough prediction, and this edition of the Copa del Rey semi-final is no exception.
Barcelona leads La Liga by seven points and has the best defense in the league, conceding just eight goals in 23 games. Madrid, meanwhile, are the top-scoring club in the domestic competition with 47 goals and a week ago scored five goals against Liverpool at Anfield.
The best defense against the best offense will be defined by the losses that Barcelona has for the match. Against United, Pedri’s absence was noticeable and without Lewandowski, Xavi’s men have no goal-scoring reference, their main weakness this campaign.
Prediction: Real Madrid to win (RMA 2 – BAR 0).
